The Australian Border Force's crackdown in the illicit tobacco market claimed a significant win this week, with more than 45 million illicit cigarettes and close to 6,500kg of tobacco being stopped at the border within five days.
The quantities were detected within 10 separate sea cargo consignments from Saturday 14 September to Wednesday 18 September, received from China, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, India, and Vietnam.
Each of the shipments - whereby seven arrived at the Sydney Container Examination Facility, and three at the Melbourne Container Examination Facility - were misdeclared as various miscellaneous items.
In total across all 10 detections, 45,150,000 cigarettes and 6,480kg of loose tobacco were found, with an estimated evaded excise duty of approximately $75,305,539.
All of the product has been seized to be destroyed.
ABF Commander Ken McKern said each seizure of illicit tobacco and cigarettes reduces the money going into criminal syndicate's pockets.
"We are seizing more illicit tobacco at the border than ever before, with tens of millions of cigarette sticks seized weekly.
"As the supply and demand for this product continues to grow, this grows the organised crime syndicates interest and involvement in the black market.
"Organised crime syndicates see the illicit tobacco trade as a low risk, high reward market - they use their profits to fund other illicit activities and attempt to import other illegal substances into Australia.
"The ABF continue to work closely with our international customs and border agency partners to ensure we are stopping as much illicit tobacco before it even reaches Australian shores," Commander McKern said.
In the 2023/24 Financial Year (FY), the ABF made more than 51,600 detections of illicit tobacco consisting of more than 1.8 billion cigarettes and more than 436 tonnes of loose leaf tobacco.
These enforcement actions have deprived organised crime syndicates of an estimated $3 billion dollars (potential evaded duty).
The penalties for smuggling tobacco are severe and can include up to 10 years' imprisonment and/or a fine of up to five times the amount of duty evaded.
Anyone with information about the importation and export of illicit tobacco or cigarettes should contact Border Watch.
By reporting suspicious activities, you help protect Australia's border and the community. Information can be provided anonymously.
Images can be downloaded here. Footage can be downloaded here, and grabs with Commander Ken McKern can be downloaded here.
