http://www.stockandland.com.au/story/3427152/71-tonnes-of-illicit-loose-leaf-tobacco-worth-40-million-seized/?cs=4770
Some of the 71 tonnes of illicit tobacco seized by Australian customs officials in June. Photo: Paul Bibby
It was, as one observer remarked wryly, “a lot of smokes” – 88 million in fact.
In the largest operation of its kind in Australian history, customs officers have intercepted 71 tonnes of loose leaf tobacco being smuggled into Australia from Indonesia.
The haul has a black market value of $40 million and would have cost Australia more than $27 million in lost tax revenue had it hit the streets.
The seizure was the result of an operation involving co-operation between Australian and Indonesian investigators that had led to 47 tonnes of the illicit product being seized in two containers in Sydney in June, the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton, said on Friday.
A third shipment of 24 tonnes was then seized by Indonesian authorities before it could be smuggled into Australia.
Seventy-one tonnes is the equivalent of 88 million cigarettes or 3.5 million packets.
“This tobacco would have cost Australia over $27 million in legitimate tax revenue if it had been successfully smuggled into the country and sold here,” Mr Dutton said.
“There are clear links to organised crime and we know that groups smuggling illicit tobacco into Australia are also involved in other illegal activities such as narcotics.”
He said a new strike force of 16 dedicated officers would be set up to target crime syndicates smuggling illicit tobacco into the country.