Three Malaysians are due in Auckland District Court today for allegedly trying to smuggle millions of cigarettes into New Zealand
Three Malaysians are due in Auckland District Court today for allegedly trying to smuggle millions of cigarettes into New Zealand
14 September 2020
The three face charges of defrauding Customs revenue, and participating in an organised criminal group.
Three shipments were intercepted in July and August - totalling around 6.9-million cigarettes.
One shipment hidden in construction materials would have earned nearly three-million-dollars in duty and GST.
It's Customs' largest single shipment tobacco seizure.
Customs investigations manager Bruce Berry says they usually see Chinese-branded cigarettes.
But he says the Malaysian exports have been a game-changer in terms of sophisticated concealment - and the significant volumes.
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