Alternatively, purchase extortionately-priced tobacco products that fund the enterprises and criminal activities of government

Posted on 2 September, 2023 by C.L.

Multi-million dollar money laundering investigation smashes illicit tobacco and vape supply.

Many in the community may not realise when purchasing cheap or under the counter tobacco products or vapes that they could be funding organised crime, which then goes on to use these ill-gotten financial gains to fund other criminal enterprises. They may have no idea their money may be funding very serious criminal activities in Australia and beyond.”

– Chairman of the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission, Bruce Barbour

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11 Responses to Alternatively, purchase extortionately-priced tobacco products that fund the enterprises and criminal activities of government

C.L. says:

2 September, 2023 at 11:01 am

An enterprising man vs. hundreds of tax hoovers:

On 29 August 2023, more than $835,000 in cash, more than 8 million cigarettes and about 3.74 tonnes of loose-leaf tobacco with a total excise value of more than $14 million, 60,000 vapes with a street value of approximately $1.8 million and six motor vehicles were seized following a multi-agency response into the activities of a Queensland man who was identified during Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) and Queensland Police Service (QPS) investigations.

In February 2023, the CCC commenced intelligence Operation Aberdeen, which included a focus on the suspected money-laundering activities of a 37-year-old man from the Logan area. During the investigation, the CCC obtained evidence indicating the man was allegedly involved in the distribution and sale of illicit tobacco and vape products to retail stores throughout Queensland. Investigations indicated these activities generated significant profits which may have been laundered, and the CCC is continuing to investigate these matters.

CCC investigators identified potential offences in addition to money-laundering and also referred information to the QPS which led to Operation Radius. Subsequently, the CCC engaged several Queensland and Commonwealth agencies which led to the multi-agency response this week.

Due to the various State and Commonwealth jurisdictions related to the alleged offending and regulation of the tobacco and vape industries, the multi-agency response involved officers from the CCC, QPS, Australian Taxation Office (ATO), Queensland Health, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and Australian Border Force (ABF).

All of this must have cost a pretty penny.
cuckoo says:

2 September, 2023 at 12:22 pm

The one thing criminal organisations hate above all else is competition.
cuckoo says:

2 September, 2023 at 12:24 pm

Or as our American cousins like to say ‘Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms’ should be the name of a convenience store, not a government agency.
Buccaneer says:

2 September, 2023 at 12:32 pm

In the US there is not even a fig leaf that taxpayers are funding extortion https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/leftist-media-desperately-bury-biden-scandals-think-they-away
and says:

2 September, 2023 at 1:20 pm

Alternatively, purchase extortionately-priced tobacco products that fund the enterprises and criminal activities of government

+100
Rockdoctor says:

2 September, 2023 at 2:38 pm

Wow CCC involving itself in something other than say corruption. Few sitting on the Government bench that need some scrutiny, hi D’Arth. Plenty going elsewhere too, talk to anyone in the know about the Smithfield bypass in Cairns and there are some eyebrows raised on the engineering firm that won that contract and alleged at arms length links to the ALP in Brisbane. Guys like Mike Kaiser with a stench of historic electoral fraud charges keeps getting plum jobs. Nope nothing to see here.

In the end I really don’t know how this is in the scope of the CCC, were crooked cops involved or something?
C.L. says:

2 September, 2023 at 5:34 pm

Interesting point, Doc.
Eyrie says:

2 September, 2023 at 7:13 pm

As goes the old joke:
Son: When I grow up I think I’ll go into organised crime.
Father: Public or Private?
NFA says:

2 September, 2023 at 10:04 pm

LOL Eyrie
NFA says:

2 September, 2023 at 10:05 pm

what and says: 2 September, 2023 at 1:20 pm
NFA says:

2 September, 2023 at 10:11 pm

what C.L. says: 2 September, 2023 at 5:34 pm

C.L.

Peter Campion in various Letters to The Editor of The Cairns Post (News Corporation) has detailed the crime against the environment that is the Smithfield bypass in Cairns imbroglio.