CANBERRA: Almost 6 million cigarettes smuggled into Australia by an illegal tobacco syndicate have been seized by Australian Border Force (ABF) members.
Three storage facilities and a number of homes in Melbourne’s western suburbs were recently raided as part of a four-month investigation, ABF said.
Nearly 10 tonnes of tobacco products were discovered to have been smuggled into Australia from the United Arab Emirates in June.
It is alleged the smuggling ring was trying to avoid paying $2.7 million in tax.
ABF Assistant Commissioner Clive Murray said the seizure was the result of a four-month investigation into a criminal group linked to the UAE.
“The illicit smuggling of tobacco into Australia is a key priority of the Australian Border Force, along with other operational priorities,” he said.
“It is a key strategy for us to combat the importation of these illicit goods and in our efforts to combat, detect disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups attempting to disrupt our border.”
The maximum penalty for tobacco smuggling is up to 10 years in jail.
“People who are importing illicit products, illicit tobacco, are generally involved in other organised crime and this is a huge haul,” Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton said.
“These people are ripping off the Australian taxpayer because they’re not paying excise that would otherwise be paid on these cigarettes,” he said.
“We want to make sure that further detections like this are made and the Australian border force officers are working with the police agencies to make sure that we can find these hauls.”
