Authorities have seized an illegal bounty of almost 300,00 cigarettes and 3026 kilograms of loose-leaf tobacco after swooping on multiple properties in Logan last week.
Working alongside Queensland Police, Australian Taxation Office agents uncovered the illicit tobacco in an operation that hit three properties in the region.
The officers from the ATO and Queensland Police searched two commercial units in Berrinba last Wednesday, where they discovered almost 291,000 cigarettes and around 2000 kilograms of loose-leaf tobacco, known on the streets as “chop-chop”,while a further 1,026 kilograms was seized at a Crestmead home.
The illicit tobacco seized had a total estimated foregone excise value of $5.16 million.
ATO Acting Assistant Commissioner Megan Croaker says,“This is a significant result. Close to 300,000 cigarettes is a lot of illicit and unregulated tobacco that’s been taken off our streets.”
Multiple shops on the Gold Coast are believed to be involved in the trade, which authorities say is funded by criminal gangs.
