CHRISTINE MCGINN
June 24, 2018
Australian Associated Press
An illicit tobacco smuggling operation based in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs has been smashed following an Australian Border Force investigation.
More than one million illicit cigarettes in a consignment from Malaysia were detected at the Melbourne Container Examination Facility with the ABF linking another five consignments to the same syndicate.
A 31-year-old Australian man and a Chinese national, 29, have been charged with illicit tobacco offences following a raid at a Burwood East on June 21.
The ABF also allegedly uncovered another 137,000 cigarettes and a small quantity of the drug ice at the property.
Almost three million cigarettes have been seized, worth approximately $2.25 million in evaded revenue, the ABF said.
It said the Chinese national arrived in Australia on a tourist visa in June, allegedly fraudulently obtained a Victorian Learner Permit and registered a business using another name.
ABF Commander Investigations Graeme Grosse said the Tobacco Strike Team would continue to target “high-value syndicates in the illicit market” in Australia or off-shore.
“People may think buying a cheap packet of cigarettes under the counter is harmless enough, but the people involved in this industry are serious criminals, in this case with potential links to illicit drugs and identity fraud,” he said on Sunday.
The accused faced Melbourne Magistrates Court and are due to reappear on September 24.
The maximum penalty for the charges is 25 years imprisonment and/or about $1 million.
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