Auckland businessman Vivek Brahmbhatt, aged 46, has been sentenced to seven months of home detention by the Auckland District Court. Brahmbhatt and his company, R D Import Limited, were convicted under the Customs and Excise Act 2018 for smuggling approximately 984 kilograms of undeclared chewing tobacco and evading NZ$267,390 in duty and taxes.
Customs investigations revealed that the chewing tobacco was smuggled across 13 separate shipments via air, sea, and mail cargo. One significant shipment, totaling 754.6 kilograms, was declared as food products from India in December 2022. Customs officers discovered the tobacco concealed among noodles, biscuits, rusk, salt, and other food items.
Photo: Supplied
Further probes linked Brahmbhatt and his company to an additional 12 air freight consignments containing 229.4 kilograms of chewing tobacco. These consignments were imported under various names and addresses to evade detection.
In total, Brahmbhatt evaded approximately NZ$267,390 in excise duty and GST. Evidence suggested that the tobacco was intended for sale in community parks and events.
Chief Customs Officer Nigel Barnes warned that purchasing cheap tobacco often means buying illegal products. “Evaded tobacco taxes cost the community millions of dollars, money that could have been used for essential services. Instead, these profits fund criminal activities and other crimes.”
Photo: Supplied
Anyone with information about illegal tobacco dealing or smuggling can contact Customs confidentially at 0800 WE PROTECT (0800 937 768) or Crimestoppers anonymously at 0800 555 111.
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