Man loitering in Melbourne Airport toilet part of syndicate trying to import cigarettes

David Hurley,
November 7, 2016
Herald Sun
AN AIR passenger who was spotted loitering in a toilet in Melbourne Airport’s baggage hall for a suspiciously long period of time was part of a syndicate which tried to import almost 140,000 illegal cigarettes into the country.
Eagle-eyed Australian Border Force officers spotted the 31-year-old Chinese man after he arrived at the airport last Tuesday morning.
They noticed he was hanging around the baggage hall for longer than is usually normal.
Melbourne Airport. Generic picture
Under questioning the man said he was waiting for six passengers from a flight from Kuala Lumpur, which was due to arrive later that day.
He said he intended to help them complete their Incoming Passenger Cards to evade scrutiny.
When the passengers from Kuala Lumpur arrived they were found with 138,220 cigarettes, which equates to almost $100,000 in revenue.
In addition to the Chinese man who had arrived from Hong Kong, a 30-year-old Chinese man in the group from Kuala Lumpur was identified as a ring leader of the attempt to import the undeclared cigarettes.
Both men were denied immigration clearance and were deported to China.
ABF Regional Commander James Watson said: “This was an organised attempt.
“We monitor the flow of passengers. People usually want to get through as quickly as possible, which is one of the reasons why the man stood out.”
The remaining five travellers were cleared to enter the country after they abandoned their cigarettes to be destroyed. Investigations into those travellers are ongoing.