The Australian Border Force (ABF) this week announced in a media release that the two masterminds behind an attempt to smuggle a record-breaking 9.5 million cigarettes into Western Australia from Vietnam have been sentenced to almost five years jail. The importation remains the biggest illicit cigarette detection in WA, and represents an attempt to evade more than $8.5 million in Duty and GST.
This latest development reinforces the imperative for licensed customs brokers to take all measures to avoid inadvertent facilitation of smuggling activities. Supporting members' obligations, risks and ethics, we are privileged to have ABF Tobacco Taskforce representatives deliver a detailed presentation at each of our February 2021 face to face events (details below).
Furthermore, we are delighted to advise Kirsten Daggar-Nickson (Head of Legal & Corporate Affairs – Imperial Brands Australasia) and Gary Dickson (Regulatory & Legal Compliance Manager – Imperial Brands Australasia) will also participate in this important session providing a broader industry perspective on illegal tobacco imports. |