The Security Inspection Equipment Made by NUCTECH Helped Australia in the Seizure of Nearly AUD $8 Million Worth of Smuggled Cigarettes
According to the official statement made by the Australian Border Force (ABF), the ABF officers found anomalies within a sea container as shown in a clear scanning image when it was examined by the security inspection equipment made by NUCTECH at a container examination facility in Fremantle on October 31, 2018. Sniffer dogs were then used and they indicated that there were tobacco products in the container. Customs officers opened the container and found that the outermost boxes in the container were filled with plastic panels while the boxes further inside contained a large amount of cigarettes. It turned out that there were 47,500 boxes of cigarettes made in Southeast Asia, totaling 9.5 million cigarettes worth nearly 8 million Australian dollars. On November 2, 2018, the 28-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with one count of illegally importing tobacco products. Further investigations are underway.
According to the head of the Customs in Western Australia, it is the biggest illicit cigarette seizure made in Western Australia, and the Commonwealth has been prevented from being defrauded of nearly AUD $8 million in legitimate revenue. The haul will significantly reduce the circulation of smuggled cigarettes in Western Australia. It is said that the illicit tobacco market in Australia is worth about USD $600 million a year in evaded revenue, and that most of the profits are used to fund other criminal activities at home and abroad. Cracking down on tobacco smuggling is a very important task for the Australian Border Force.
The haul has been covered by many Australian media outlets, including ABC, WA Today, Remonews and NACS.