Millions of cigarettes seized in Melbourne

Tonnes of tobacco and more than 10 million illegal cigarettes have been seized in Melbourne by Australian border officials.

The cigarettes were seized after Australian Border Force officers searched a container that had arrived in Melbourne, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton said on Wednesday.

The cigarettes would have been subject to $5.6 million in taxes had they been imported legally, while the tobacco molasses would have incurred $4.7 million in duties.

The container with the cigarettes was marked as containing masking tape.

The seven tonnes of tobacco molasses were in one shipment labelled as herbal molasses, while another was addressed to a fake company.