Source : Perth Now news
More than 1000 tonnes of illicit tobacco and four million vapes have been seized across the country as part of an ongoing enforcement blitz launched by Australian Border Force.
The ABF launched Operation Printwall in December 2025 as part of an effort to increase the detection and interception of illicit tobacco reaching Australian shores.
Between December 1 and March 31, the ABF conducted a series of major supply chain disruptions, extracting 998.5 tonnes of illegal cigarettes and tobacco.
One woman was caught on camera trying to smuggle a suitcase full of illegal cigarettes into the county before she was asked by an ABF officer to open the bag up.
The wild footage shows hundreds of boxes evenly lined up, with some spilling onto the table and floor as the woman appears to search for an explanation.
ABF Assistant Commissioner Tony Smith said teams around the country had been working hard to target more shipping containers, more air cargo consignments and more international travellers suspected to be smuggling tobacco into Australia.
“The total haul of 998.5 tonnes of illicit tobacco is so vast, that if the cigarettes seized were laid end to end, they would stretch 71,599 kilometres – almost enough to wrap around the earth twice,” Assistant Commissioner Smith said.
“Since the commencement of Printwall, the ABF’s work has stripped product from the supply chain, increased risk for criminal operators, and placed tangible pressure on the illicit trade’s economics nationwide,” he said.
“The ABF is committed to working with our partner agencies, here and overseas, to protect the Australian border and keep Australians safe – this includes stopping illicit tobacco offshore before it gets to our shores, at our border, and domestically.”
The statistics are split between enforcement operations which take place “pre-border” (offshore) “at the Australian border” (places like airport security) and “post-border” (internal, domestic operations).
More than 35 million cigarette sticks were intercepted before they ever made it onshore according to an ABF statement, which also said that 786 million illicit cigarettes had been taken by officers at the border.
Post-border operations have resulted in two arrests and the seizure of 20.6 million illegal cigarettes during the length of Operation Printwall so far.
