Travelers from other parts of the world have attempted to sneak more than 800,000 undeclared cigarettes into Australia since July 1 of this year. In total, the cigarettes seized at Australian airports in three months has valued over $1 million.

A Bad Habit Down Under

The Australian Border Force (ABF) has issued a press release on Friday documenting that officers around the country have apprehended 24 airport travelers who have attempted to smuggle large quantities of undeclared cigarettes.

A majority of the suspects in question tied to these acts are from Japanese nationals. The ABF suspects that these nationals are working for organized crime rings, citing four different instances of attempted smuggling to suggest this:

• On July 5 and 6, around 330,000 cigarettes were inside the luggage of nine Japanese nationals at Sydney International Airport.
• On July 30, one Japanese national attempted to smuggle over 34,000 cigarettes out of Perth International Airport.
• On August 24, two Japanese nationals were caught at Melbourne International Airport trying to smuggle over 70,000 cigarettes.
• On September 7, agents stopped four more Japanese nationals with over 140,000 cigarettes in their possession.
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According to a report from NHK, one of the 24 suspects told authorities he was expecting a cash reward for smuggling the cigarettes.

Commander Ken McKern commented on the recent incidents:

“Recently, there has been increasing detections of passengers departing from airports across Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore attempting to smuggle cigarettes into Australia. What we find is that passengers attempt to smuggle undeclared cigarettes in their luggage via carry-on or checked luggage before passing them to criminal groups in Australia." 

"There is a common misconception that engaging in the illicit tobacco trade is a victimless crime, but it is far from it. Organized criminal groups generate significant profits from the sale of illicit tobacco, which fund other criminal activities such as illicit drug trafficking."
 

In the press release, Australia's interim Commissioner of Illicit Tobacco and E-cigarette (ITEC), Erin Dale, explains that the ABF frequently communicates with other airport security firms around the world to stop the smuggling of imported cigarettes and tobacco and ensure passengers understand what happens to those who attempt it.

“Border enforcement alone cannot stem the flow of illicit goods into Australia...Illegal importers are determined to circumvent border controls and take advantage of the Australian people...The trade is both domestic and international in scope, and we're working to ensure collaborative efforts between local, state, federal, and international law enforcement partners to combat the issue."
 

ABF's website lists tobacco as a “prohibited import.” According to Home Affairs notice No 2019/13, the only way foreign tobacco can be allowed into Australia is to apply for and be granted an import permit issued by the ABF. Regarding carry-on luggage, travelers can only have one unopened pack of 25 cigarettes and one opened pack of 25 cigarettes at a time.
 

All travelers who have smuggled cigarettes have had their visas revoked and were forced to leave the country at their own expense.

The ABF has also been very active in cracking down on illegal smuggling by sea, as agents have intercepted over 45 million cigarettes on cargo boats in five days from September 14 through 18.