Melbourne, 20 July, 2026: The Australian Border Force (ABF) has recorded its biggest year yet in the fight against illicit tobacco, seizing more than 2,300 tonnes of illegal tobacco and 13.2 million vapes in 2025-26 as it targeted criminal supply chains from overseas factories to local shops.
The record haul was announced this week as part of ABF’s “full border continuum” approach, which combines offshore intelligence, border detection and domestic enforcement to disrupt organised crime groups profiting from the illegal trade.
Pre-border: Stopping it before it sails
ABF officers stationed offshore played a key role in stopping shipments before they reached Australia.
Between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026, they received 1,640 referrals from international partners — a 209% increase on the previous year.
That intelligence helped prevent 514.9 million illicit cigarettes, 11.9 tonnes of loose-leaf tobacco and 3.1 million vapes from entering the country.
At the border: Record seizures
At Australia’s ports and airports, ABF officers seized:
Over 2.2 billion cigarette sticks
586.7 tonnes of loose-leaf tobacco
2,259.4 tonnes of illicit tobacco in total
13.2 million illicit vapes — up 112% on last year
The ABF estimates the evaded tobacco duty on those border seizures alone is more than $4.7 billion, excluding GST.
Post-border: Hitting syndicates domestically
Domestically, the ABF led operations through the Illicit Tobacco Taskforce and National Disruption Group.
In the same period, domestic seizures jumped sharply:
109.4 million cigarette sticks — up 496
1 tonnes of loose tobacco — up 232%
114.2 tonnes of illicit tobacco total — up 232%
The duty evaded on domestic seizures is estimated at $236.6 million, excluding GST.Across all three stages, the total 2,300+ tonnes of illicit tobacco seized would weigh about the same as 170 double-decker buses.
“Measuring disruption, not just seizures”
ABF Commander Illicit Tobacco and Vape Enforcement Greg Dowse said the numbers reflect growing pressure on criminal networks.
“Our aim is to measure success by the level of disruption we cause to organised crime groups and by reducing their ability to operate profitably,” Commander Dowse said.
He noted smugglers are already changing tactics in response to enforcement, and rising prices on the black market suggest supply is tightening.
“These results show the value of strong international and whole-of-government cooperation,” he said. “A 496% increase in cigarette stick seizures and a 232% increase in overall illicit tobacco seizures reflects an unprecedented level of domestic disruption.
”The ABF says it will continue to work with international and domestic agencies to target every stage of the supply chain.
