Xfinity Series driver Derek White was reportedly arrested in what law enforcement officials termed the biggest tobbaco smuggling bust in North American history.
According to Bloomberg, White, 45, was a high-ranking member in the smuggling operation. White is a member of the Mohawk tribe in Kahnawake, Quebec, and the Kahnawake chief peacekeeper said White was one of three people in the tribe who had an arrest warrant.
Lieutenant Jason Allard, spokesman for the Quebec provincial police, said the tobacco operation was tightly organized. It bought shipments of tobacco leaf in North Carolina, trucking them north and reselling them in Canada. Profits from tobacco were used to purchase cocaine, and some of the money was laundered abroad, in Europe, he said. The tobacco shipments were not declared at the border and disclosed to government officials, thereby avoiding taxes and allowing the cigarettes to be manufactured and sold for less money. Baggies of 200 cigarettes can be purchased for $5 at Native smoke shops on the U.S. side of the border.
The arrests took place in 70 raids at residences and shops in Montreal and surrounding areas, as well as in Ontario, police said. Almost 700 Canadian and U.S. police were involved in the bust, according to a statement from Frederick Gaudreau, an investigator at the Surete du Quebec. Zacharie said no searches or arrests took place on Kahnawake territory in connection with the investigation.
According to NBC Sports, White turned himself in after learning of his arrest warrant and he's set to face seven charges.
Police said 52,800 kilograms of tobacco, 836 kilograms of cocaine, 21 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 35 pounds of pot were seized. If you're not familiar with the metric system, a kilogram is approximately 2.2 pounds.
White has made 22 career Xfinity Series starts including 13 in 2015. He also made his first Sprint Cup Series start in 2015, finishing 39th at New Hampshire. Per Motorsport.com, NASCAR is "looking into" the report of his arrest.
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