Melbourne a smuggling hotspot

Customs officials in Victoria, Australia, have said that Melbourne is becoming the new hot spot for the arrival of undeclared cigarettes and loose tobacco from Asia and Europe, according to a story in the Herald Sun relayed by the TMA.

Shipments to Melbourne were becoming more frequent and the shippers were using increasingly sophisticated techniques to hide the contraband, Graham Krishof, the regional director of customs for Victoria, was quoted as saying.

The story said that in 2012, A$64.8 million worth of illicit tobacco products were found in containers in Melbourne, though it was not clear on what basis this figure was calculated.

Illicit cigarettes are said to sell for ‘almost half the price’ of licit products.