Border Force busts multi-million-dollar illicit tobacco operation in the Northern Territory
The Australian Border Force has seized more than 433,000 cigarettes, 686kg of loose leaf tobacco and 50,000 vapes in Darwin. (Supplied: Australian Border Force)
In short:
The Australian Border Force has seized 433,400 illicit cigarettes, 686 kilograms of illegal loose-leaf tobacco and 50,200 single use vapes from a Darwin storage facility.
The haul is worth $1.8 million in evaded duty taxes and an estimated $3.7 million in potential proceeds of crime.
What's next?
Advocates are calling for NT laws to be updated to strengthen enforcement and compliance.
The Australian Border Force (ABF) has smashed a multi-million-dollar illicit tobacco operation, with officers seizing hundreds of thousands of illegal cigarettes and vapes from a Northern Territory storage facility.
In a statement, an ABF spokesperson said sniffer dogs and investigators discovered a Darwin storage unit, where they allegedly found 433,400 illicit cigarettes, 686 kilograms of illegal loose-leaf tobacco and 50,200 single-use vapes.
The ABF has disrupted a major illicit tobacco operation in the Northern Territory. (Supplied: Australian Border Force)
The law enforcement agency said the haul represented $1.8 million in evaded duty taxes and was worth an estimated $3.7 million in potential proceeds of crime.
Last week's illicit tobacco seizure was the ABF's third blow to the Northern Territory's black market in just two months.
Two weeks ago, officers allegedly found 103,600 illegally imported cigarettes and 39 kilograms of loose-leaf tobacco from an international mail carrier.
Loading...In April, the ABF said investigators confiscated more than 82,000 cigarettes, 15.5 kilograms of loose-leaf tobacco and 873 vapes in Darwin.
In a statement, ABF Commander Graeme Campbell labelled the haul as "another significant disruption to organised criminal activity" in the territory.
"This seizure is proof that through our intelligence-led operations, ABF officers are detecting and disrupting criminal supply chains before these goods ever reach the community," Commander Campbell said.
"Our Detector Dog Unit played a critical role in this operation, with the highly trained dogs and handlers detecting concealed illicit goods across a range of environments.
The latest seizure disrupted criminal supply chains before the products reached the market. (Supplied: Australian Border Force)
"Illicit tobacco and vapes undermine legitimate businesses and fund broader criminal activity.
"The ABF will continue to use every capability at our disposal to protect the Australian community."
As of this morning, no arrests had been made.
With the Northern Territory ranked as having the weakest response to tackling illicit tobacco in the country, advocates say the key to tackling it lies in coordinated efforts across all levels of government.
Among the goods seized by Australian Border Force was 50,200 single use vapes. (Supplied: Australian Border Force)
Chief executive officer of the Australian Council on Smoking and Health, Laura Hunter, said while recent seizures should be "celebrated," the jurisdiction has a "huge way to go".
"These are really big numbers, and I think it's really important to celebrate the fact that this means fewer cheap cigarettes ending up in the hands of Australians," she said.
"It means fewer vapes ending up in the hands of our young people as well, and it's going to have an impact on disrupting organised crime."
Ms Hunter called on the NT to update laws to strengthen enforcement and compliance, including higher penalties to deter organised crime.
Laura Hunter says there is still a lot more work to be done in combating illicit tobacco in the NT. (ABC News: Jack Stevenson)
"At the moment, some of those compliance officers who go out to shut down stores doing the wrong thing, they don't even have closure orders to shut down the stores," she said.
"So, while you have Australian Border Force coming out and doing these excellent hauls, and excellent seizures with less product being on the streets, we also need to see this happening by the Territory government as well."