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Downtown store owners facing charges for seized contraband 
Tuesday, 16 June 2009 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }The operators of a store in downtown Kingston are facing several charges after the Customs Contraband Enforcement Team Monday seized an assortment of items valued at millions of dollars.
st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }Among the items seized were a large quantity of rice, believed to have expired, and contraband cigarettes.
The enforcement team raided a store on King Street Monday afternoon and seized 3,958 cartoons of counterfeit cigarettes valued at $16 million.
They also seized 120,000 kilograms of rice packaged in parcels weighing one, two and five kilograms.
They were labelled as parboiled rice imported from Brazil.
The expiration date was tampered with.
It is suspected that the rice was to be sold on the local market.
A quantity of bleaching creams and gels were also confiscated by the Enforcement Team.
A statement from Customs Department on Monday night said charges are pending as the proprietors were not present at the store at the time of the raid.
Tuesday, 16 June 2009 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }The operators of a store in downtown Kingston are facing several charges after the Customs Contraband Enforcement Team Monday seized an assortment of items valued at millions of dollars.st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }Among the items seized were a large quantity of rice, believed to have expired, and contraband cigarettes.
The enforcement team raided a store on King Street Monday afternoon and seized 3,958 cartoons of counterfeit cigarettes valued at $16 million.
They also seized 120,000 kilograms of rice packaged in parcels weighing one, two and five kilograms.
They were labelled as parboiled rice imported from Brazil.
The expiration date was tampered with.
It is suspected that the rice was to be sold on the local market.
A quantity of bleaching creams and gels were also confiscated by the Enforcement Team.
A statement from Customs Department on Monday night said charges are pending as the proprietors were not present at the store at the time of the raid.