Quality Contraband Tobacco Makes Its First Market Entry

It’s been a long, very long time since we expected to see Kahnawake’s first brand of high quality contraband cigarettes.

Well now, it’s done and well done! The wait is over because we have just found it.

Rolling drums … ladies and gentlemen, here is the Rolled Gold!… the first brand of contraband of the same quality as the legal ones, but naturally five times less expensive since the consumer avoids paying taxes on tobacco (which represents in average 75% of the legal product price).

These “rolled cigarettes of gold”, as suggested by the brand imagery, have apparently appeared on the market about two years ago in Kahnawake. These are the first high quality contraband cigarettes that we believe can compete with legal tobacco.

Visual inspection: Check!

A few days ago, we stumbled upon a contraband tobacco smoker who proudly showed us – and gave us a sample – of this brand of contraband tobacco, swearing that they are as good as legal cigarettes, but for a fraction of the price. Indeed, they are sold as low as $ 19 a carton (instead of $ 80-100 for legal tobacco), and even $ 17 if bought in larger quantities of 10 to 15 cartons at a time.

These cigarettes offered in King Size format are sold in “flip-top” packs of 20 cigarettes each which are the most popular on the U.S. market (eg Marlboro). Thus, a 200 cigarettes carton includes 10 packs of 20 cigarettes each and not 8 packs of 25 each as is normally the case for Canadian cigarettes.

 

The mentions found on the package are bilingual with English on the main face. The manufacturer is clearly indicated as to be Thompson Tobacco from Kahnawake. However, we could not find any information about this manufacturer.

At first sight, this product greatly intrigued us:

  • The package’s graphic design seems very well done for Native cigarettes: the chosen colors (red wine, black and gold) go well together and project a sense of luxury and quality.
  • The product logo is nicely designed, the name correct and its letters are embossed on the package, something we rarely see with Native tobacco products.
  • The package includes several notable mentions: “No Additives”, “100% Natural Tobacco”, “100% Canadian Blend”, “Underage Sales Prohibited”, “Class A” “Full Flavor” (a statement you see everywhere on contraband tobacco packs but its meaning is still unknown).
  • Interestingly, the mentions are bilingual while the health warning is American. Normally, the American warning means that the product is destined for the American market, but in such a case the mentions of the pack would only be in English. It is likely that the manufacturer wanted to put on a health warning and chose the American version simply because it is simpler and smaller.

Finally, the manufacturer is mentioned: Thompson Tobacco, Kahnawake. Thompson is a common name on the reserve, including a vodka distillery. It is possible that the two are related, but we have no evidence to this effect. For sure, the manufacturer is not concerned at all to be identified knowing that the chances of police raids on the reserve are non existent.

A comparison of the product with the regular contraband tobacco sold on reserve confirmed that it is a superior product.

 

The first thing that distinguishes the Rolled Gold is the brand inscription on the filter, not just merely printed but finely laid out in red, the brand’s color, with two fine lines of gold over and under. Regular contraband cigarettes, on the other hand, have no mark on the filter. We can also see that the compression of tobacco within the Rolled Gold is perfect, the tube being smooth and straight while the cigarette at the bottom – sold in a Ziploc bag – is bumpy at several places. This may be due to less efficient machinery or a lower quality tobacco.

 

The difference is striking when looking at both cigarettes’ end: the Rolled Gold (left) is perfectly round in shape with the tobacco inside finely cut and compressed. The lower quality cigarette, on the right, is oval in shape, includes coarse pieces of tobacco and the paper seems shredded at the end. We see that the right one has also lost part of its tobacco.

 

As for the filter, there does not seem to be any noticeable difference between the Rolled Gold and its low-end counterpart. The textured paper surrounding it, on the other hand, has a different color, is paler and features a better design.

 

According to our sources, Rolled Gold cigarettes are sold in this smoke shack called Big Bear and Mr. Butt’s located on Route 138 in Kahnawake, east of the Mercier bridge. It is also likely that they will be sold elsewhere on the reserve, perhaps not in all the 140 smoke shacks but surely in a good part of them.
 A quality confirmed by smokers

As we don’t smoke ourselves, we asked three long-time smokers to share their opinion on this product. The names used are fictitious.

The three smokers who tasted the product all concluded that Rolled Gold is at the same quality level of legal cigarettes.

 

Roger is a retired blue collar who is approaching his sixties. He has smoked contraband tobacco for years and has become accustomed to the taste of low-end products. He has tasted a wide variety of products and can smoke as much ziploc cigarettes as Native brands like PlayFare’s or Jack Peterson. According to him, the Rolled Golds are indeed of superior quality and reminds him a little of the Sago, which are legal cigarettes made in Ontario but sold in reserve without provincial taxes. But while Sago are sold $ 41 a carton, the Rolled Gold’s carton are sold for twice as less. He indicated that he stopped shopping into the reserve by himself but through an underground reseller, he would definitely opt for them.

Chantale is in her mid-fifties and works in the health sector. Although she has smoked contraband tobacco before, she has turned to legal tobacco mainly for its better quality. After some reluctance at first, Chantale really liked the product. According to her, Rolled Gold cigarettes are not hard to puff, don’t smell as strong, take more time to consumer and taste good. After a cigarette, she also felt she had her nicotine dose. She currently pays about $ 70 per carton despite her limited resources and would not hesitate to trade these for Rolled Gold at only $ 19 a carton. “Can you find some for me?” she even asked.

André works downtown Montreal as a computer analyst. His brand of choice is Player’s Light and costs $ 100 a carton. He has never smoked contraband because of the product’s poor quality. On trial, he found the Rolled Gold “not bad”. They seemed softer than the Native cigarettes he has already tasted and which were rough on the throat. More and more convinced as he went on, he finally said that this product was “a quite stunning improvement” on quality and agreed that it is at the same level as legal cigarettes.

A new era for contraband tobacco?

After soaring in the 2000s to a peak of 40% of the market in 2008, contraband tobacco has steadily declined since then to stabilize at about 15% of the market.

One of the key factors behind this decline – in addition to higher fines and increased police repression – is the low quality of so-called Indian cigarettes compared to legal products.

Many of the smokers we’ve talked to over the years have confessed to being unable to smoke “feather cigarettes” as they are called around here. They’d rather pay the high price of $ 80-100 a carton of 200 cigarettes a week rather than smoke “hay” that makes them cough and leaves a smell 100 feet around. If it’s no good, it’s no good!

We have always anticipated, therefore, that it is only a matter of time before contraband manufacturers operating on Native reserves would, through effort, patience and investment, produce a quality product as good as legal cigarettes made by large multinationals and thus regain some of the lost market shares.

It is indeed logical that they do so: they have the money, the authorities leave them alone and at the price they sell tobacco, a quality product could become quickly popular.

Year after year, however, we had never encountered such high quality products before. Cigarettes in $ 10 ziploc bag are still the worst: too dry, poorly compacted, smelly with unfinished tobacco. Then come the cigarettes packaged in brands such as “Canadian Original” or “PlayFares” which, according to smokers, are barely better, even if their packaging is similar to legal cigarettes. Sago cigarettes for their part are equivalent to legal ones, but are also much more expensive: $ 41 per carton.

So still, this day has finally arrived. Is this the beginning of a revival of contraband? It could very well be.

26 thoughts on “Quality Contraband Tobacco Makes Its First Market Entry

  • 31 October 2018 at 19:22
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    Can you let me know the requirements to purchase your products

    Reply
    • 31 October 2018 at 19:32
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      Greetings: We don’t sell tobacco products in any way, shape or form. Such thing would be against the law.

      Reply
  • 8 November 2018 at 14:09
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    How do i order your product

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    • 8 November 2018 at 14:48
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      Greetings: We don’t sell tobacco products in any way, shape or form. Such thing would be against the law.

      Reply
      • 21 August 2020 at 14:28
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        Hi
        Would you please get in touch with me. I am interested in roller gold blues
        5879859999

        Reply
        • 21 August 2020 at 15:03
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          Hello all: I know this article about rolled gold cigarettes is ranking high on Google and is among the most read of this web portal. I don’t personally mind that some of our readers are looking to buy this product and use this comment section to share contact info. I’d just like to reiterate here, loudly and clearly, that DepQuébec has nothing to do with this trade, has never been involved at all and will never be. Our interest has been purely journalistic in nature, period. Thank you.

          Reply
          • 25 December 2022 at 07:03
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            Lately the rolled gold full flavor has had a glitch. In a pack every second to third cigarette the filter is leaking where it meets the cigarette, and there is tobacco missing just above there. The next cigarette is packed so tight it’s hard to puff a good drag. Hope you will look at this soon as it has only been in the last six to eight weeks.

      • 15 October 2020 at 12:50
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        I’ve smoked this rolled gold product for about a year and find it just as good as brand name high tax cigarettes – please don’t change a thing

        Reply
    • 19 August 2020 at 16:22
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      I am a French Canadian with mates stats and I feel the Canadian Government has done a great injustice to all induididus people in Canada trough out history. I would love to order your cigarettes if you will be so kind to sell them to me. Please respond if you can and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
      Yours truly
      Sherry Descoteaux
      You can call or message me at +17802711547 . Thanks so very e.

      Reply
    • 18 October 2020 at 09:54
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      I am interested in rolled gold kingsize

      Reply
  • 19 December 2018 at 03:12
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    Love these wish I could order them

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  • 4 January 2019 at 16:10
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    anyone buy these cigs on regular basis, would like to try sum.$$ maybe native friend from the area. [email protected]

    Reply
  • 18 February 2019 at 06:17
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    I would like to try these cigarettes for myself because I can’t afford the real ones anymore because I’m on a disability pension. Any info on how I can contact someone in Gatineau would be appreciated.

    Reply
  • 29 November 2019 at 22:48
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    Hi I am interested in purchasing 10 cartons

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    • 1 December 2019 at 14:41
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      For that, you must go to the Kahnawake Native Reserve but be aware that this is illegal. It’s at your own risk.

      Reply
      • 13 January 2020 at 21:03
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        I’m First Nations. Can I buy some cigarettes to try? Can I bring them back to my reserve (we don’t have a smoke shop)?

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        • 14 January 2020 at 07:16
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          Stan: Thanks for your question. Natives are allowed to buy tobacco without paying any taxes in reservations but transporting a significant quantity of tobacco between reservations would not be legal, I assume.

          Reply
  • 21 February 2020 at 20:08
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    These are also found in Nanaimo, BC. I wonder how prevalent they are throughout Canada?

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    • 19 April 2020 at 20:50
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      Where in Nanaimo b.c. can I order and get sent ?

      Reply
      • 20 April 2020 at 07:51
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        I have no idea. The article aim was reporting the fact, not promoting this product.

        Reply
    • 28 July 2020 at 23:08
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      where in naniamo please thankyou

      Reply
    • 28 August 2020 at 05:00
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      Come to Vancouver area these smokes are all over the place. Im now smoking them $50 a carton .

      Reply
  • 31 August 2020 at 12:51
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    I want to try Rolled Gold cigarettes, pls tell me how and why to buy. I am living in Richmond, BC.

    Reply
    • 22 October 2020 at 11:54
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      I am looking for Rolled Gold cigarettes, and also the Canadian menthol cigarettes.
      Would you please inform me where and how i can acquire them. Please

      Reply
  • 13 December 2020 at 17:09
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    what is the nicotine content in rolled gold?
    red packaging
    and
    blue packaging
    it seems to me that because these smokes have no additives, that they would be less addictive, ergo making possible to break free of a nasty addiction.
    why are the natives not approaching and/or getting approval to sell this brand legally. the are a made in canada product. the government should be behind them able to capitalise off the public, just as much as the american corporations do.
    the legal brands of smokes have nicotine enhancing chemicals to keep smokers addicted.

    Reply

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