The Australian Border Force (ABF) has seized more than four million illicit cigarettes after they were shipped to Australia from Korea.
The cigarettes had a potential street value of up to $3.5 million and the total amount of duty evaded is $2.2 million.
On 29 July, ABF officers located the cigarette sticks comprising the 'Otto' and 'Figure' brands.
The contents of the container, originating in Korea, were declared as toilet seat covers and trash cans.
The ABF subsequently led an operation to identify and arrest the alleged importer. ABF officers arrested a 43-year-old Korean national and executed a search warrant at a residential property in Auburn, Sydney late Tuesday night.
This seizure follows the attempted importation of 2.5 tonnes—or 1.5 million sticks— of illicit cigarettes and the arrest of four Korean nationals in Sydney in June and the seizure of 13 million smuggled cigarettes in Melbourne in April.