AUSTRALIA
More than six million cigarettes, 22 boxes of loose tobacco, A$350,000 cash and a small amount of cocaine and methylamphetamine were seized by the Australian Border Force in Sydney’s southwest in August. Five men have been charged over a multi-million dollar tobacco smuggling syndicate.
The arrests followed a previous investigation about a drug supply network involving members of the Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang and other criminal groups. Thirteen people who were arrested in June and charged with a variety of offenses are still before the courts.
The search warrants on the homes, businesses, and warehouses were part of broader raids carried out across Sydney, but police said it was a completely separate avenue of investigation.