Suspected smokes smugglers arrested

Two men and a woman suspected of helping to smuggle more than 820,000 cigarettes into Australia have been charged by Border Force investigators.

Officers suspect the trio - aged between 25 and 33 - is linked to some 424 individual consignments sent through the Sydney Gateway Facility since last July.

ABF Assistant Commissioner Wayne Buchhorn said the arrests showed using small shipments wouldn't stop authorities from busting illegal importation schemes.