$48 million blow to cigarette black market
A massive haul of illegal cigarettes and tobacco has been seized by the Australian Border Force in its biggest weekend haul to date.
ABF officers seized a total of $48.8 million in illicit tobacco products between Good Friday and Easter Monday through its NSW Container Examination Facility.
There were 28 million cigarettes worth $32.6 million and 9,762kg of tobacco worth $16.2 million were detected across multiple shipments.
The goods had been declared as consignments containing everyday items like toilet paper, sofa chairs and car scanners.
The various shipments arrived from China, Singapore, and Korea and were not linked to one particular crime syndicate.
The criminals behind the shipments have been identified by the ABF according to Superintendent Jared Leighton.
“Tobacco and cigarette smuggling is not a victimless crime - with profits from illegal sales in Australia often being used to fund other criminal activity both here and overseas,” Superintendent Leighton said.
“We have seen several prison sentences handed out here in NSW relating to illicit tobacco and this should serve as a significant deterrent to those who are involved with this type of activity.
“These massive seizures highlight the ABF‘s commitment to tackling the illegal importation of tobacco, and prove once again that we are making the Australian border a hostile environment for those seeking to conduct criminal behaviour.”
The penalties for smuggling tobacco can include up to 10 years‘ imprisonment and/or a fine of up to five times the amount of duty evaded.
