ABF busts huge illegal cigarette and tobacco syndicate in south west Sydney
Australian Border Force has busted a massive illegal cigarette smuggling syndicate, finding nearly 1.9 million cigarettes and 1200kg of loose leaf tobacco in a Greenacre warehouse.
TWO Greenacre men have been arrested by Australian Border Force (ABF) for allegedly being a part of an organised criminal syndicate and importing 1.87 million cigarettes and 12 tonnes (1200kg) of loose leaf tobacco, worth more than $700 million on the market.
The products were allegedly found hidden in a container from China, said to contain beverages and toilet rolls.
The men were arrested when ABF officers raided a warehouse in Greenacre on Thursday, February 7, with the tobacco products worth nearly $16 million in duty evasion.
The maximum penalty for tobacco smuggling is 10 years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of up to five times the amount of duty evaded.
“ABF officers located 1.87 million cigarettes and 12 tonnes of loose leaf tobacco, which represents a total evaded duty of $15.9 million,” an ABF statement said.
“On February 7, ABF investigators executed multiple warrants at a storage facility in Greenacre, apprehending two people allegedly in the process of unpacking the container.
“A 46-year-old man and a 49-year-old man were arrested and taken to Bankstown Police Station, where they were charged with multiple offences .... of the Customs Act 1901.
ABF Regional Investigations NSW A/g Superintendent John Fleming said the raid and arrests sends a strong message to organised crime groups.
“This was a brazen attempt by a sophisticated organised crime syndicate to defraud the Commonwealth of $15.9 million of legitimate revenue,” he said.
“Individuals must realise that when they buy a packet of illegal cigarettes, they are supporting a market dominated by criminal syndicates who use the profits from illicit tobacco to fund other illegal activities.”
“Targeting and dismantling this criminal activity is an operational priority for the ABF and we are leading the Illicit Tobacco Taskforce, that combines the operational, investigative and intelligence capabilities of the ABF, ATO, Department of Home Affairs, ACIC, Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre and Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.”
In the last financial year, the ABF said it made more than 110,000 detections of illicit tobacco at the border including almost 240 million cigarettes and 217 tonnes of tobacco, worth more than $356 million in evaded duty.
The illicit tobacco market in Australia is worth about $600 million a year in evaded revenue.
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