From: Australian Government | Department of Immigration and Border Protection
Australian Border Force (ABF) officers arrested two men aged 25 and 26 and a 33-year-old woman yesterday (8 April 2016) after a two-month investigation revealed they had been allegedly involved in smuggling cigarettes into Australia.
Officers yesterday executed multiple search warrants seizing several items including illicit cigarettes. Since last July, 424 individual consignments consisting of 820,320 smuggled cigarettes suspected to be linked to these individuals have been detected by ABF officers at the Sydney Gateway Facility. It is estimated more than $450,000 in duty and GST was payable on these cigarettes.
ABF Assistant Commissioner Wayne Buchhorn said the arrests showed that syndicates who think they can bypass border controls by sending small shipments were wrong.
“Using intelligence gathered at the border, we link multiple illicit shipments and work to prosecute those involved in their illicit importation,” Assistant Commissioner Buchhorn said.
“This should serve as a warning to anyone involved in this type of activity – it is only a matter of time before you will be caught.”
The three have been charged with smuggling tobacco products under Section 233BABAD (1) and 233BABAD (2) of the Customs Act 1901, which carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment or fines up to $180,000.
