More than 26 tonnes of illegal tobacco worth an estimated $4.4 million in forgone excise value has been allegedly seized and destroyed on a farm near Braidwood.
This latest activity follows recent tobacco busts in Murga and Binnaway, NSW, where the combined green weight at the properties was more than 240 tonnes.
NSW Police searched the property on May 11, together with officers from the Australian Tax Office and Australian Border Force.
A tobacco shredding machine was also seized at the property, police said.
The officers are attached to the Border Force-led Illicit Tobacco Taskforce, a multi-agency group formed in 2018 to investigate, prosecute and dismantle organised crime networks which police believe use the proceeds from the sale of the tobacco, known colloquially as "chop-chop", to finance other illicit drug operations.
In this recent investigation and seizure, code-named Operation JungleVine 2, the Braidwood tobacco plants had allegedly been grown over two hectares.
It was the biggest seizure of tobacco in the local region since 2020, when 97 tonnes were allegedly found on a property in Bevendale, about 80 kilometres north west of Goulburn.
ATO assistant commissioner Jade Hawkins said that activities under Operation Junglevine2 had "so far destroyed illicit tobacco with a combined potential excise value of more than $44 million".
"This puts a significant dent in the illicit tobacco profits that organised criminals use to fund their criminal behaviour and other nefarious activities," she said.
It has been illegal to grow tobacco in Australia for more than a decade. If convicted, growing tobacco carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment.
A submission by British American Tobacco prior to the 2022-23 federal budget estimated the consumption of illegal tobacco cost Australians an estimated $2.9 billion in lost revenue from tobacco excise in 2020 alone.
The most recent tobacco tax gap published by the ATO estimated that in the 2019-20 financial year approximately 770 tonnes of illegal tobacco went undetected in Australia.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.
