The Manitoba government says investigators have seized more than 882-thousand contraband cigarettes in two separate incidents this month.
On Wednesday, Manitoba Finance investigators stopped a cargo van near West Hawk Lake, east of Winnipeg, and a search turned up 85 cases of assorted contraband cigarettes.
The previous week, authorities say close to 33-thousand cigarettes were seized from an apartment in the south of Winnipeg that was set up like a store front, complete with counter.
Two men are facing charges under provincial tax legislation and could face fines of up to 10-thousand dollars along with jail time and tax penalties if convicted.