Nearly 10 tonnes of illegal tobacco was seized when Australia Border Force officers raided properties across the west, including homes in Altona North and Hoppers Crossing.
Officers say they have cracked a suspected organised tobacco smuggling syndicate operating in Melbourne’s west.
Search warrants were also executed at storage facilities in Altona North, Brooklyn and Truganina.
The raids were the culmination of a four-month investigation.
In June, about 10 tonnes of tobacco products, or nearly six million cigarettes, were discovered to have been smuggled into the country via air cargo from United Arab Emirates.
The ABF alleges the syndicate was trying to evade $2.7 million in tax.
Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton on Friday announced the formation of a strike team to target and disrupt serious organised crime syndicates smuggling illicit tobacco into Australia.
“There are clear links to organised crime and we know that groups smuggling illicit tobacco into Australia are also involved in other illegal activities such as narcotics,” he said.
“This interception is an example of the valuable role our border protection agencies make targeting criminal syndicates and preventing them from generating profits which are often used to fund other criminal activity.”
The maximum penalty for tobacco smuggling is 10 years’ jail and/or a fine totalling five times the amount of duty evaded.
