business - 2026-06-19

Police uncover $12 million in illicit tobacco at Frenchs Forest warehouse as drug and theft cases mount

Source: manlyobserver.com.au

Northern Beaches and surrounding suburbs have been the focus of several significant police operations this week, ranging from a multi-million-dollar illicit tobacco bust to a major drug importation case and a spate of vehicle break-ins targeting local tradies.

Northern Beaches and surrounding suburbs have been the focus of several significant police operations this week, ranging from a multi-million-dollar illicit tobacco bust to a major drug importation case and a spate of vehicle break-ins targeting local tradies. The largest single seizure came on the morning of 9 May 2026, when officers responded to reports of suspicious activity at a Frenchs Forest warehouse and discovered an abandoned truck on the premises. Using a police dog, they tracked three men in their 20s into nearby bushland and took them into custody. Inside the warehouse, investigators found more than one million cigarette sticks, half a tonne of loose-leaf tobacco, nearly 80,000 nicotine pouches and more than 40,000 vapes. Police estimated the total street value of the haul at between $10 million and $12 million. The three men have been charged with aggravated break and enter and participation in a criminal group. Separately, a 49-year-old Northern Beaches man has been arrested over an alleged ketamine importation from the Netherlands. The operation began in April when Australian Border Force officers in Sydney intercepted a shipment declared as personal protective...