Police have charged a woman after large amounts of illegal tobacco were allegedly located during routine vehicle stops conducted by South Coast Police.
About 9:50pm on Tuesday (13 August 2024), officers stopped a Volkswagon caddy traveling south on the Old Princes Highway, Batemans Bay.
After speaking with the female driver, officers conducted a search of the vehicle and allegedly located and seized 160 cartons of illegal cigarettes, with an estimated street value of $48,000.
The 21-year-old woman was arrested and taken to Batemans Bay Police Station and charged with never licensed person drive vehicle on road, knowingly deal with proceeds of crime and hinder police officer in the execution of duty.
She was refused bail and appeared before Batemans Bay Local Court yesterday (Wednesday 14 August 2024) and was granted conditional bail and will reappear in Batemans Bay Local Court tomorrow (Friday 16 August 2024).
About 2:38pm yesterday (Wednesday 14 August 2024), South Coast Police conducted a search warrant on a storage facility at Batemans Bay where they located and seized 178,000 illegal cigarettes, with an estimated street value of $267,000.
A short time later, police executed a search warrant on a business on a tobacconist on Vulcan Street, Moruya.
During the search, police located and seized 31,960 illegal cigarettes with an estimated street value of $47,940 and more than $9,600 in cash.
Investigations are ongoing.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
