The men are facing charges including smuggling goods, making false or deceptive statements, evasion of duties, and disposing of illegally imported goods.
The arrests follow a joint investigation involving the Niagara Regional Police Service, the Department of Homeland Security Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) and the Canada Border Services Agency.
“The network involved the purchasing of cases of cheese and other food items and transporting these cases into Canada, without declaring the items or paying duty. Once the products arrived in the country, they were sorted and prepared for distribution to a variety of restaurants in Southern Ontario,” said a statement from the Niagara Regional Police Service.
“The investigation revealed that there was a significant financial gain to be made in the smuggling operation. The investigation revealed over $200,000 worth of cheese and other products were purchased and distributed for an estimated profit of over $165,000.”