The ore carrier Kokoo berthed at Noumea. Pictures: French Customs/ABF
The Australian Border Force (ABF) has helped French customs officers in Noumea seize a record haul of illegal tobacco bound for Australia.
Nearly 76 tonnes of contraband cigarettes, worth almost A$57m, was found hidden in an ore carrier that authorities believe was intended to serve as a floating platform for the illegal tobacco market in Australia.
Two high-powered speedboats were also found onboard the Tanzanian-flagged Kokoo.
The haul has been described as the largest seizure of tobacco by French customs in New Caledonia.
On Friday, February 7, the captain appeared in Noumea Criminal Court and was given a suspended prison sentence term of 10 months and fined the equivalent of A$575,807.
The cigarettes were confiscated as were five 12metre-long containers worth $24,135 and two fast boats worth A$551,672.
ABF Assistant Commissioner Customs Compliance, Enforcement & Targeting Tony Smith says they first became aware of the vessel, inbound from Taiwan, when it acted suspiciously on approach to the east coast of Australia.
“The ABF undertook extensive surveillance of the vessel while building an appreciation to assess its potential risk to the Australian border,” he says.
Two powerboats were discovered onboard.
The ship, crewed by Burmese and Chinese nationals, then changed course towards New Caledonia and the ABF alerted the authorities there.
On Wednesday, February 5, Noumea Customs officers searched the Kokoo and found the cigarettes hidden in five containers in the hold.
Officers also found two speedboats, each equipped with four 300hp engines, and a 10,000 litre tank of fuel.
The authorities believe the Kokoo was adapted to serve as a floating platform from which the speedboats delivered the cargo to shore in “go fast” mode.
“It is critically important to work with neighbouring countries, to disrupt criminal actors and threats to border security,” Smith says.
“This operation is a great example of cross-border collaboration whereby the monitoring of suspicious activity was passed onto the appropriate authorities and acted on swiftly.”
Customs investigations into the cigarette brands indicate that they were destined for the Australian market, the ABF says.
