Illicit tobacco

As the cost of legal tobacco products continues to rise through frequent increases in excise, serious and organised crime groups are taking advantage of the opportunity to make more illicit profits. Organised criminals view the illicit tobacco trade as low-risk and high-reward.

Trident Taskforce detectives this morning charged four men and seized $2,455,635 worth of illicit tobacco following an investigation into the importation and distribution of illicit tobacco products.

Australian Border Force, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Australian Taxation Office, Australian Transactions and Reporting Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), Northern Territory Police
The first warrant executed by the newly established Illicit Tobacco Taskforce (ITTF) has uncovered more than 17 acres of illegal tobacco crops and 6 tonnes of tobacco leaf, with an estimated excise value of $13.3 million, growing near Katherine.

Australian Border Force, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission
An Australian Border Force (ABF) operation, assisted by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), has resulted in the arrest of three Malaysian nationals for allegedly possessing more than six million cigarettes illegally imported into Melbourne

Australian Border Force, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission
An Australian Border Force (ABF) operation, assisted by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), has resulted in the arrest of a 49-year-old man for allegedly possessing more than 4.8 million cigarettes illegally imported into Melbourne.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) led Illicit Tobacco Taskforce (ITTF) has disrupted a major criminal operation involved in the domestic growing of illicit tobacco.

On Saturday morning, the Illicit Tobacco Taskforce (ITTF) arrested a key person of interest as he returned to Australia as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged illicit tobacco syndicate.