Australia seizes 123 tonnes of illicit tobacco in two months

Australian customs intercepted more than 123 tonnes of illegal tobacco in a two-month period, after a change in regulations.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) is responding to the introduction of a new law on July that makes it illegal for anyone to import tobacco without a permit, or in contravention of permit conditions, reports Mirage News. Tobacco can no longer be imported into Australia by mail.

The 123 tonnes consisted of more than 87 tonnes of illicit loose leaf/molasses tobacco and 47.9 million cigarettes, which was all seized in July and August and evaded millions of dollars in duties.

Last financial year, the ABF detected more than 300 tonnes of illicit tobacco and 426 million cigarettes, which represented an estimated evaded duty of A$633m ($428m).