The province said a 67-year-old Winnipeg man was arrested on July 24 after a vehicle search by government investigators led to the seizure of 112,000 illegal cigarettes.

The arrest was made by members of Manitoba Finance’s Taxation Special Investigations Unit. The man is also alleged to have been carrying 94 grams of marijuana and $2,483.15 in cash.

Gram Thomson is facing a number of drug and criminal charges, as well as charges under The Excise Act, The Manitoba Tobacco Tax Act, and The Tax Administration and Miscellaneous Taxes Act, the province said, adding that the province would make $33,246.50 in tax revenue on that number of cigarettes. If convicted, Thomson faces a triple tax penalty of nearly $100,000 in addition to potential fines and jail time.