2 days ago
Brantford men charged in multi-million-dollar contraband tobacco operation
A cache of seized contraband tobacco is seen in this image. (OPP)
The investigation into a multi-million dollar contraband tobacco operation has resulted in four more arrests.
Ontario Provincial Police said Abdelrahman Hasan, 28, and Saif Hasan, 20, both from Brantford, were arrested in April 2025, along with Omar Omran, a 25-year-old from Scarborough, and Nael Alwarasaneh, a 36-year-old from Burlington.
All four were charged with trafficking contraband tobacco.
According to media release sent out on Friday, the OPP's Contraband Tobacco Enforcement Team (CTET) began investigating 'a network of individuals based in the GTA' in January 2024.
Then, on July 4 of that same year, they executed three search warrants in the GTA.
OPP said they seized more than 800 kilograms of shisha tobacco, more than 16,000 contraband cigarettes and $30,000 in Canadian cash. The street value of the tobacco was estimated at around $90,000.
Contraband tobacco bust
Ontario police say they've seized $2.3 million worth of illegal shisha and cigarettes. (OPP)
Another 16 search warrants were conducted in Brantford, Burlington, Mississauga, Vaughn and Scarborough on Oct. 24.
In that bust, OPP said they found 19,000 kilograms of contraband tobacco, with an estimated street value of $2.3 million. They also seized a number of electronic devices.
A Toronto man, 58-year-old Ali Mallah, was charged with trafficking contraband tobacco in November 2024.
