Police have raided another Victorian farm, seizing more than 80,000 illegal tobacco plants.
This time the farm was in the west of the state, located at Landsborough about 30km east of Stawell in the foothills of the Pyrenee Ranges.
Police said the latest tobacco bust was part of a major investigation into tobacco production in regional Victoria.
The actual raid was conducted last week but was only made public yesterday (Tuesday)..
Meanwhile, officers from the VIPER Taskforce have seized almost $2.5 million worth of illicit tobacco products as part of an ongoing investigation into organised crime syndicates.
Seven warrants were executed in Morwell, Moe and Traralgon, where police seized more than 1.5 million cigarettes and more than 102kg of loose-leaf tobacco.
Firearms, ammunition and other weapons were also seized from a Morwell tobacco store.
Five men and two women were interviewed by police and are expected to be charged on summons.
Investigators continue to appeal to anyone with information about these incidents and urge them to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at
Last week, detectives executed a search warrant at a rural property in Landsborough where they claim to have located an illegal tobacco plantation and thousands of tobacco bales and plants.
Police allegedly seized more than 80,000 tobacco plants, more than 1.3 tonnes of dried tobacco in bales, more than 30kgs of loose dried tobacco and tobacco manufacturing equipment
A 47-year-old Landsborough man was arrested during the raid.
The investigation remains ongoing.
It has been illegal to grow tobacco in Australia for more than a decade.
Tobacco manufacturing is highly regulated in this country and big tax (excise) dollars are involved - worth many millions of dollars.
At these high prices, selling illegal tobacco can turn a bigger profit than selling heroin, or cannabis.
November to May is peak growing season for illicit tobacco crops.
Organised crime gangs are known to lease land from unsuspecting farmers to grow their illegal crops.
Farm leasing provides them anonymity.
Federal authorities are warning unsuspecting farmers and absentee owners to wise up to their responsibilities when deciding to lease their ground.
Illegal tobacco growing operations have been shut down in recent times in NSW, Northern Territory, Queensland and Victoria..
The Australian Taxation Office has previously said previous investigations had found illicit tobacco growing operations were not run by the landowners.
"They are run by organised crime syndicates who evade tax, steal water, disregard regulations and do whatever it takes to grow their crop," a spokesman said.
"These operations are not run by genuine farmers or landowners, but by criminals living and operating in local communities."
If you suspect that illicit tobacco is being grown or manufactured in your community, you can confidentially report it to the ATO online at www.ato.gov.au/tipoff or by calling 1800 060 062.
In relation to the recent Landsborough raid, Det.-Sgt Brent McGuire from Ballarat said: "The detrimental effects of illicit tobacco sales and its association with further criminal activities can significantly harm rural communities and businesses.
"Victoria Police remains unwavering in its resolve to investigate the unlawful production and trade of tobacco - such actions will not be tolerated within our regional communities."
"Police will continue to persist in disrupting the supply chain and dismantling any criminal networks that enable and profit from it."
