THE Australian Border Force led Illicit Tobacco Taskforce has disrupted the activities of two alleged organised crime syndicates involved in the importation and distribution of illicit tobacco throughout Victoria and Western Australia.
The first operation occurred on 10 and 11 March 2021 when ABF officers from the ITTF executed Customs Act 1901 search and seizure warrants at a number of residential and commercial properties in suburban Melbourne.
The targets allegedly belong to an organised crime syndicate that smuggles illicit molasses tobacco into Melbourne and distributes it throughout Victoria.
During the warrants approximately 1000 kilograms of molasses tobacco was located and seized, along with jewellery and $100,000 in cash, alleged to be the proceeds of crime.
The estimated value of evaded duty for this amount of tobacco is more than $1.5m.
Investigations are ongoing and charges are expected to follow.
Additionally, ABF Investigators in Perth intercepted a 45 year-old man when he attended a Kewdale trucking depot to pick up two pallets of illicit cigarettes allegedly sent by a separate smuggling syndicate based in Victoria.
It will be alleged that 540,000 domestically produced cigarettes containing illegally imported loose-leaf tobacco were located in the van the man was driving.
The estimated value of duty evaded on that amount of cigarettes is $595,944.
The van was also seized by the investigating officers.
The man has been charged with one count of Possess in excess of 100 kilograms of tobacco in Australia whereby the excise duty or customs duty has not been paid, under Section 308-15(1) of the Tax Administration Act 1953.
He appeared in the Perth Magistrates Court on 12 March, and was granted conditional bail to reappear in the same court on 9 April 2021.
These investigations follow recent successful ITTF operations in regional Victoria and New South Wales, involving ABF, ATO, NSW Police and Victoria Police, which resulted in the seizure and destruction of $84.3m of illicit tobacco.
