Record 75 tons of counterfeit cigarettes seized in Nouméa aboard Tanzanian-flagged vessel Kokoo Photo: Douanes de la Nouvelle-Calédonie
Authorities seized 75 tonnes of counterfeit cigarettes on board a vessel that stopped to refuel in Nouméa, New Caledonia.
The estimated value of the cargo is around €35.5 million, authorities said.
The seizure resulted from regional intelligence information being shared, including Australian law enforcement authorities.
The illegal cargo was found inside five containers onboard the Kokoo, a Tanzania-flagged vessel.
The cigarettes were concealed in the hold of the vessel, which was initially designed to transport ore.
Investigators and customs officials said the ship had left Taiwan in late November 2024 and that it was initially headed for the Philippines.
However, it later travelled closer to Australian shores.
The Kokoo was also carrying two 300-horse-power shuttle-type small boats, indicating logistical capacity to deliver parts of the shipment to successive onshore drop points, in what specialists refer to as "go-fast" mode, a technique usually associated with narcotics traffickers.
The ship's captain, a Myanmar citizen, has since appeared before a local court and was handed a ten-month suspended jail sentence and a fine of €350,000.
The cigarettes seized in the record bust will be destroyed.
