A 33-year-old Indian national is due to face court in Brisbane next month, accused of laundering millions of dollars from an alleged illicit tobacco network while also providing false information to immigration authorities.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) will allege the man facilitated the movement of more than $7 million through his bank account, funds said to be linked to illegal tobacco sales across outlets in Brisbane’s outer suburbs.
Investigators claim the man is unlawfully residing in Australia and submitted fraudulent documents as part of ongoing attempts to secure permanent residency.
Search warrants were executed on 27 April at a home in Kuraby with assistance from the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Queensland Police Service (QPS). Officers seized about $70,000 in cash, four mobile phones, business records and keys linked to a commercial storage facility. Authorities also located boxes of illicit vaping products, which were forfeited to the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
A separate search warrant executed the same day by QPS at a storage unit in Rochedale, suspected to be a distribution site, did not result in any seizures.
The man has been charged with dealing with proceeds of crime under $100,000, providing false or misleading information under migration law, dishonestly influencing a public official, and possessing a commercial quantity of vaping goods. The most serious offences carry potential penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Kurt Wesche said authorities would continue targeting organised criminal activity linked to illicit tobacco, warning such operations posed both economic and public health risks. He said the trade “results in everyday Australians funding the lavish lifestyles of criminals” and emphasised that law enforcement agencies were focused on removing profits derived from illegal activity.
QPS Detective Acting Superintendent Melissa Anderson said the case reflected a broader effort to disrupt organised syndicates involved in illicit commodities, noting ongoing collaboration between state and federal agencies aimed at identifying individuals operating behind the scenes.
ABF Superintendent Amanda Coppleman said cooperation between agencies was essential to counter efforts to exploit Australia’s migration system, adding that enforcement efforts span the entire supply chain from importation through to retail distribution.
A Queensland Health spokesperson said authorities maintained a zero-tolerance approach to the sale of illicit tobacco and vaping products, citing the risks posed to community health.
The man is scheduled to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on 26 June 2026.
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