Photo supplied by Ontario Provincial Police
Police have shut down a large-scale contraband tobacco manufacturing operation on Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, seizing more than 40,000 kilograms of illegal tobacco products with an estimated street value exceeding $10 million.
The Ontario Provincial Police Contraband Tobacco Enforcement Team launched Project TRACK in April 2026 after a separate incident led investigators to a criminal network operating a tobacco manufacturing facility. Police allege the operation was connected to a non-Indigenous criminal enterprise that funnelled profits outside the community.
Search warrants executed on June 11 at a Hamilton residence, a manufacturing facility and a vehicle on Six Nations Territory resulted in the seizure of contraband tobacco, 300 kilograms of shisha tobacco, a handgun, five cigarette manufacturing lines, three stolen vehicles, $25,000 in cash and other equipment used in the operation.
Police also located 13 foreign nationals during the investigation, with the Canada Border Services Agency now involved.
Andrew Besam Hadaddin, 34, and Mustafa Jaber, 45, both of Hamilton, face multiple charges under the Criminal Code and Excise Act related to contraband tobacco production and trafficking. Both were released following bail hearings and are scheduled to appear in Brantford court on July 23. The investigation remains ongoing.
