Australian Border Force (ABF) investigators say they have intercepted more than 586 million illegal cigarettes and 3 million vaping devices between July and September 2025, the largest quarterly haul ever recorded. The seizures—detailed in an ABF briefing released on 24 October—span every mainland state and underscore how quickly criminal syndicates are switching from tobacco to high-margin nicotine vaping products.
Most interceptions occurred at container ports, but ABF officers also stopped individual passengers, including a traveller from Lebanon who arrived at Brisbane Airport with 30 kg of tobacco and 2,500 cigarettes hidden in clothing. In Western Australia, four million cigarettes were discovered behind a false wall of bricks, triggering a joint investigation that ultimately froze an estimated AU$24 million in criminal proceeds across New South Wales.
Commander Greg Dowse, who heads ABF’s Illicit Tobacco and Vape Enforcement Unit, said the numbers show criminal networks are becoming “more brazen” as profit margins on tobacco rise with each federal excise increase. He credited new data-matching agreements with customs agencies in the UAE, China and Vietnam for allowing Australian authorities to “hit shipments upstream” before they reach retail channels.
For multinational companies that move staff in and out of Australia, the record seizures highlight tighter scrutiny of cargo manifests and personal luggage. Corporate mobility managers should expect longer customs clearance times, particularly for air-freight consignments declared as “personal effects,” and may need to brief travelling employees on Australia’s zero-tolerance stance toward undeclared tobacco or vaping goods.
The crackdown also dovetails with Canberra’s wider migration and public-health agenda. From 1 January 2026, vaping products will be prescription-only nationwide, giving ABF a fresh mandate to police inbound mail, air freight and cruise passengers. Failure to declare even small quantities can trigger on-the-spot fines of AU$3,300 and jeopardise future visa applications, a risk global mobility teams should flag in pre-departure briefings.
Most interceptions occurred at container ports, but ABF officers also stopped individual passengers, including a traveller from Lebanon who arrived at Brisbane Airport with 30 kg of tobacco and 2,500 cigarettes hidden in clothing. In Western Australia, four million cigarettes were discovered behind a false wall of bricks, triggering a joint investigation that ultimately froze an estimated AU$24 million in criminal proceeds across New South Wales.
Commander Greg Dowse, who heads ABF’s Illicit Tobacco and Vape Enforcement Unit, said the numbers show criminal networks are becoming “more brazen” as profit margins on tobacco rise with each federal excise increase. He credited new data-matching agreements with customs agencies in the UAE, China and Vietnam for allowing Australian authorities to “hit shipments upstream” before they reach retail channels.
For multinational companies that move staff in and out of Australia, the record seizures highlight tighter scrutiny of cargo manifests and personal luggage. Corporate mobility managers should expect longer customs clearance times, particularly for air-freight consignments declared as “personal effects,” and may need to brief travelling employees on Australia’s zero-tolerance stance toward undeclared tobacco or vaping goods.
The crackdown also dovetails with Canberra’s wider migration and public-health agenda. From 1 January 2026, vaping products will be prescription-only nationwide, giving ABF a fresh mandate to police inbound mail, air freight and cruise passengers. Failure to declare even small quantities can trigger on-the-spot fines of AU$3,300 and jeopardise future visa applications, a risk global mobility teams should flag in pre-departure briefings.
