'Trusted insiders' behind drugs and tobacco haul
A man who allegedly boasted he could circumvent Australian borders has sparked the arrest of seven men over large-scale drug imports and more than 20 million untaxed cigarettes.
The seizure comes as attention focuses on the black market tobacco trade as questions are asked about the high federal excise, which has been blamed for increasing the flow of money away from government coffers to organised crime.
The 42-year-old man was allegedly using a freight forwarding service at Punchbowl in Sydney's southwest to bring packages across the border.
Authorities began looking into the man after learning in September 2023 that he allegedly claimed he could circumvent border checks.
Investigators from several law enforcement agencies and the tax office continued to monitor the freight forwarding service, especially after the August 2024 arrest of two men over a 280kg haul of liquid methamphetamine imported inside a freezer shipped from Canada.
More illicit goods continued to arrive, including shipments totalling 20 million cigarettes from the United Arab Emirates.
After learning in May the man allegedly planned to import 50kg of cocaine from Panama, hidden inside bags of cement, police moved in.
Four men, including the 42-year-old, were arrested as properties were raided around Sydney's west and southwest on Friday. Another was arrested at Sydney Airport on Saturday.
Among the men are two Canadians who allegedly flew in to oversee the import and extraction of the cocaine, destined for organised crime groups.
The 42-year-old man behind the freight forwarding service has been charged with multiple counts of importing large quantities of tobacco and commercial quantities of border-controlled drugs, as well as proceeds of crime and criminal group charges.
He was refused bail on Sunday and is due to return to court at the end of July.
NSW Police seized 243 boxes of tobacco at storage facilities in Moorebank during the raids.
The seizure comes as Premier Chris Minns this week questioned the "massive" federal excise on tobacco and the rise in the number of high-street shops selling illicit tobacco and nicotine vapes.
In Victoria, illegal tobacco sales have prompted regular violence, with more than 100 firebombings in two years.
Queensland police found a fake wall full of cash and a secret tobacco store on Thursday during a major crackdown on more than 20 illegal traders.
The federal tobacco excise topped $1.40 per cigarette in March, excluding shop markups, with the average pack of 20 now costing up to $55 or more, depending on the brand.
The 2025/26 federal budget wiped $6.9 billion off the government's tobacco excise projections out to 2029, with about one in five smokers shifting to illicit cigarettes or vapes.
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