Illegal cigarettes worth $16 million have been found.

An organised crime syndicate that imported and distributed illicit tobacco in Sydney has been smashed following the discovery of 1.87 million cigarettes and 12 tonnes of loose leaf tobacco worth nearly $16 million. The haul, discovered on February 3 in a container from China labelled as carrying “beverages and toilet paper” led to multiple warrants being executed in the city’s west and two men being charged, the Australian Border Force says. Two men, aged 46 and 49, have been charged, with the maximum penalty for tobacco smuggling 10 years in jail and/or a fine of up to five times the amount of duty evaded.