A Walkerton man has been fined 15 thousand dollars for possessing illegal cigarettes.
67 year old Thomas Perry was convicted of violating the Federal excise Act, with the sentencing handed down in a Guelph court last Friday.
Perry was arrested in August of 2010 after police observed him carrying smokes into several Walkerton area homes, and then leave empty-handed.
When stopped by police, they found 199 cartons of unmarked cigarettes form native reserves in the trunk of his car.
OPP had been watching Perry for two days prior his arrest.
During Perry’s trial, the court heard he has repeatedly been convicted of possessing illegal cigarettes.
It is the fourth time in 4 years he has been convicted of the same offence, with fines totalling 40 thousand dollars.
Court also heard that notebooks found in Perrys’ home suggest he sold 30 thousand cartons of smokes since 2007 and evaded nearly 400 thousand dollars in taxes.
