Australian Border Force (ABF) reported on 5 February that intensified sea-cargo screening between October and December 2025 prevented more than 467 tonnes of illegal cigarettes, loose-leaf tobacco and tens of thousands of nicotine vapes from entering the domestic market, amounting to an estimated AU$1 billion in evaded duty.
Commissioner Michael Outram said the seizures were the result of new algorithmic risk-profiling tools that flag high-risk consignments early in the supply chain, plus closer cooperation with Vietnamese and Chinese customs agencies. The haul dwarfs the AU$590 million worth intercepted in the same quarter a year earlier.
![Border Force blocks AU$1 billion in illicit tobacco and vapes in just three months]()
For relocation managers needing end-to-end support, VisaHQ can help synchronise visa processing with shipping timelines. Through its Australia portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/), the service simplifies work-permit and residence-visa applications for assignees, allowing mobility teams to focus on cargo compliance while ABF scrutiny ramps up.
Although primarily a revenue and public-health story, the data matter for corporate relocation teams that import unaccompanied personal effects: ABF officials warn that consolidated containers are now more likely to be X-rayed and unpacked, lengthening door-to-door transit times. Mobility providers should factor potential clearance delays and fumigation fees into relocation budgets and advise assignees to keep personal shipments free of tobacco or vaping products, which could lead to fines or seizure.
Commissioner Michael Outram said the seizures were the result of new algorithmic risk-profiling tools that flag high-risk consignments early in the supply chain, plus closer cooperation with Vietnamese and Chinese customs agencies. The haul dwarfs the AU$590 million worth intercepted in the same quarter a year earlier.
For relocation managers needing end-to-end support, VisaHQ can help synchronise visa processing with shipping timelines. Through its Australia portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/), the service simplifies work-permit and residence-visa applications for assignees, allowing mobility teams to focus on cargo compliance while ABF scrutiny ramps up.
Although primarily a revenue and public-health story, the data matter for corporate relocation teams that import unaccompanied personal effects: ABF officials warn that consolidated containers are now more likely to be X-rayed and unpacked, lengthening door-to-door transit times. Mobility providers should factor potential clearance delays and fumigation fees into relocation budgets and advise assignees to keep personal shipments free of tobacco or vaping products, which could lead to fines or seizure.
