Two men are facing charges after authorities find hundreds of thousands of contraband cigarettes.

Manitoba Finance Taxation Special Investigations Unit says they are in possession of 300,000 seized cigarettes that had been brought into the province by a local transport company.

On June 8, just outside of Winnipeg, two men were arrested during the seizure. The two men, one from Winnipeg and one East St. Paul, aged 36 and 54, are now facing criminal charges under The Tobacco Tax Act and The Tax Administration and Miscellaneous Taxes Act.

The first-time offenders are facing the possibility of fines between $1,000 and $10,000 and/or up to six months imprisonment. The province says they may face a triple tax penalty of $270,000.

Both men could also be facing charges under the Criminal Code of Canada due to the contraband.

If the seized 300,000 cigarettes had been sold, the province says it stood to lose $90,000 in tax revenue.

The province is asking anyone who believes they have information regarding illegal tobacco sales are being asked to contact the Manitoba Finance Special Investigations Unit at 204-945-1137, email RCMP, or call Manitoba Crime Stoppers (toll-free) at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).