AUSTRALIA (TR) – Since July, Australian authorities have arrested two dozen Japanese nationals for allegedly smuggling large quantitis of cigarettes into the country, where the price for tobacco is on the rise.
On September 7, four Japanese men were arrested by border security authorities at Brisbane Airport for trying to bring over 140,000 cigarettes into the country without declaring them, according to interviews with people involved, reports NHK (Sep. 26).
The four men were trying to enter the country as tourists and had hidden the large amount of cigarettes in their suitcases.
Smuggle ’em if you got ’em
The Australian government has been increasing taxes on cigarettes in an effort to reduce the number of smokers. A pack of a typical brand containing 25 cigarettes costs about 50 Australian dollars, or about 5,000 yen, which is more than double that of 10 years ago.
In the midst of this, there have been a series of cases where people have been arrested for trying to smuggle cigarettes into Australia from abroad.
Since July of this year, a total of 24 Japanese people have been arrested. One of the suspects said that they were “supposed to receive a reward [for smuggling]”
In an interview with NHK, an Australian Border Force officer said, “Illegal tobacco fuels organized crime and is also a source of revenue.” He also indicated that his intention is to step up enforcement.
