The Australian Border Force (ABF) is seizing record levels of illicit tobacco at the border, not only protecting Australians from the harm of illegal tobacco, but contributing to intelligence to bring down dangerous criminal syndicates.
This 31 May 2025 marks World No Tobacco Day, and the ABF is highlighting the Illicit Tobacco Taskforce's (ITTF) involvement in leading and joining state and territory law enforcement agency operations to disrupt criminal syndicates' hold on the illicit tobacco market.
This year's theme for World No Tobacco Day is about Unmasking the appeal: Exposing industry tactics on tobacco and nicotine products.
ABF experience in combatting illicit tobacco has shown that border enforcement alone cannot eliminate the issue, which is transnational, cross-jurisdictional, and multi-dimensional.
ABF Acting Commander, Jaclyn Jeffery said the fight against illicit tobacco and serious organised crime is an ongoing challenge – one that requires strong collaboration with key Commonwealth, state and territory partners as well as international stakeholders together.
“While the ABF is successfully detecting and seizing significant quantities of illicit tobacco at the border, working with our partners to disrupt the operations of criminal networks onshore as well as upstream before it reaches our border are both integral parts of combatting the issue as a whole", Acting Commander Jeffery said.
“Last financial year (2023-24) we seized over 1.8 billion cigarette sticks and over 436 tonnes of loose leaf tobacco at our border – and we anticipate this figure will increase this financial year thanks to our agile response to the evolving strategies used by criminals."
“Cheap, illicit tobacco products may seem appealing, but we are warning the public that they not only pose a serious health risk but it also boosts the profits of organised crime syndicates here and overseas."
Recent operational efforts include:
Operation BEACH: In March 2025, The ITTF supported the Australian Tax Office and Victoria Police in executing a search warrant against an illegal crop location in regional Victoria, suspected to be linked to a known criminal syndicate.
- Two crops spanning over 13 acres were located, resulting in the destruction of 16 tonnes of tobacco.
Operation GALACTUS: In 2024, more than 130 law enforcement officers from the ITTF and Victoria Police executed over 27 search warrants across Victoria focusing on a criminal syndicate's domestic supply chain and associated proceeds of illicit tobacco sale in retail stores.
- Seizures of the Vic Pol led operation included 75,000 in cash, 600,000 cigarettes, 7,000 vapes, 75kg of loose leaf tobacco, imitation firearms and extendable batons and a tobacco manufacturing machine.
- Seizures of illicit goods equated to a total of approximately $1 million revenue evaded.
Strike Force MOORAK: In 2024 The ITTF assisted NSW Police Force executing a series of search warrants across storage facilities on the Central Coast of NSW, aimed at disrupting a criminal syndicate's domestic supply of illicit goods.
- During the operation over 19 million cigarettes and 250,000 vaping products were seized.
Operation TAYGETA: In 2024 ITTF and ABF officers conducted warrants across four locations in South Queensland following targeted activity.
- Seized items across the four locations included 58,620 sticks of cigarettes and 32kg of loose-leaf tobacco.
Footage of cigarettes seized at the border by the ABF is at this link.
Media contact:
media@abf.gov.au
