Illegal tobacco shipped into Darwin exposed by Australian Border Force’s East Arm facility

Two separate hauls uncovered in a quiet industrial part of Darwin has kept a whopping amount of illegal tobacco off the streets. See the pictures.

Within the confines of a secure warehouse in East Arm, authorities have seized up to $6 million worth of tobacco shipped in from Asia following two busts just weeks apart.

In September, authorities identified multiple suspicious pallets shipped in from Singapore.

The contents were taken to the Australian Border Force’s container examination facility in East Arm, where officers screened through more than a tonne of packaged goods.

Across September and October, 2024, Australian Border Force officers in Darwin intercepted two shipments of tobacco just weeks apart, with a combined value of up to $6 million.

The X-ray images of the pallets did not match what was declared on paper.

Upon closer inspection, authorities discovered millions of dollars worth of cigarettes, including bags of tobacco masked as cat food.

On Wednesday evening, more suspicious pallets, also shipped in from Singapore, caught the attention of authorities, and were found to have been packed with even more cigarettes.

Some of the cigarettes were reportedly covered in mould. Picture: Harry Brill.

Both finds have been handed over to investigators who will now turn their attention to identifying the sources – and the would-be recipients.

While the hauls are impressive, the finds are merely another point on the board for ABF officers.

Such is the regularity of intercepting hundreds of kilograms worth of illegal items, it was only when the NT News was touring the facility the finds were pointed out to media.

The inconspicuous building, tucked within a big industrial area, possesses a wide open hangar which enables officers to thoroughly inspect packaged goods flown and shipped into the Top End.

Cat bags had been used to try and conceal the illegal contents. Picture: Harry Brill.

The machinery of the hangar represents the scale of the operations being conducted at the facility.

Forklifts, trucks, long steel benches and large conveyor belts are at the disposal of officers, who are accustomed to sifting through multiple shipping containers a day.

More pallets from Singapore stashed with tobacco. Picture: Harry Brill.

The combined efforts of new technology, sniffer dogs, and, most of all, the intuition of ABF’s men and women, is the sole difference between millions of dollars worth of illegal drugs hitting the streets or not.

Not all imported packages pass through the facility, however, with intelligence gathering and tip-offs determining what items will be trucked into the facility for a detailed examination.

To the untrained eye, suspicious packages are difficult to decipher. Not for the professionals. Picture: Harry Brill.

Acting Superintendent Angela Dawson told this masthead tip-offs - both foreign and domestic - played a significant role in daily operations.

“We’re trained to pick up a lot of red flags, but we also rely on the community a lot,” she said.

“We have a program called Border Watch where people refer suspicious activity to us - that’s very important.

“If we get leads, we’ll go and investigate.”

Despite the plethora of new kit and technology now in the hands of the ABF, Superintendent Dawson maintains the agency’s greatest asset is its people.

“We use technology a lot and that’s evolving, but you can’t beat two people who are out in the field with fine tuned skills, you can’t beat it.”