A driver trucking a tractor-trailer full of ice cream from Ontario into Manitoba also had illegal cigarettes and $500,000 in cash aboard hidden among the icy treats, RCMP say.

A 51-year-old Winnipeg man was transporting a cargo of ice cream from the Greater Toronto Area to B.C. on Monday when RCMP stopped him near the outskirts of Winnipeg.

Officers inspected the truck and found cartons of illegal cigarettes and $500,000 in cash hidden among the cargo, RCMP said.

The man was charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 under the Manitoba Tobacco Tax Act, RCMP said.

"Our teams of traffic specialists in Manitoba are dedicated to improving public safety and eradicating crime on Manitoba roadways," Insp. Ed Moreland, officer in charge of Manitoba RCMP Traffic Services, said in a statement.

"That includes bringing those who commit financial crimes in the commercial trucking industry to justice."

RCMP continue to investigate the case.