The Australian Border Force and French Customs in New Caledonia have reported a historic seizure of illicit tobacco. The customs officers in Noumea made a seizure of nearly 76 tonnes of contraband cigarettes, concealed in several containers that were on board a commercial ship serving as a storage platform served by powerful speedboats. This is the largest seizure of tobacco made by French Customs on the national territory.
Officers of the Noumea Customs Brigade on February 5 searched a Tanzanian-flagged merchant ship, coming from Taiwan which was calling at Noumea after a long journey along the Australian coast.
The visit and search of the ship led to the discovery of 75.8 tonnes of suspected illegal cigarettes, the equivalent of one year’s cigarette consumption on New Caledonian territory.
The goods were concealed in five containers deposited in the holds of this ore carrier, which is normally dedicated to bulk transport.
During the operation, the service also discovered two speedboats, each equipped with four engines of 300 horsepower, and a tank of 10,000 litres of fuel intended to supply these boats.
Photo credit: Australian Border Force and French Customs.
“These elements support the hypothesis that this vessel was specially adapted to serve as a floating platform from which the speedboats ensure illegal landing on the coast in “go fast” mode. It appears that the crew received delivery orders from the sponsors of this large-scale organized trafficking,” the Australian Border Force and French Customs said in a joint media release.
Investigations by customs agents into the brands of the seized cigarettes indicate that the goods were destined for the Australian market.
The captain of the ship was presented to the Noumea criminal court on February 7 which sentenced him to 10 months of suspended imprisonment, a customs fine of €349,865, as well as the confiscation of cigarettes whose value is estimated at €34.6m on the legal market, of five x 40-foot containers with an estimated value of €14,665, and the confiscation of two fast boats with an estimated value of €335,200.
