Three drivers will face court after police searched their trucks in separate highway stops, allegedly revealing more than $4.5 million worth of vapes, cigarettes and tobacco.
Highway patrol police pulled over a truck on the Pacific Highway at Nabiac, on the NSW Mid-North Coast, about 2pm on Tuesday, June 16, due to the manner of driving.
Police conducted roadside testing on a 39-year-old woman before searching the cargo area of the truck.
Officers allegedly uncovered more than 17,000 vapes and 615,000 cigarettes, valued at a total of about $1.5 million, according to NSW Police.
A small amount of cannabis was also allegedly found.
The woman was ordered to face court at a later date on charges of having goods in her custody suspected being stolen, possessing at least 1000 times the commercial quantity of vaping goods, and possessing a prohibited drug.
The next night, police stopped a truck travelling on the Pacific Highway at Jones Island, on the NSW Mid-North Coast, about 9.20pm for random testing and compliance inspections.
The 58-year-old man driving the truck was subject to roadside testing. A search of the truck allegedly revealed a large quantity of tobacco leaf.
The truck was taken to Nabiac Police Station, where further searches were conducted. Police allegedly found 2377 kilograms of tobacco leaf inside the truck.
NSW Police said the seized items had an estimated value of about $2.6 million.
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The man was issued a notice to attend court in August for having goods in his custody suspected of being stolen.
In a third separate incident further south, police charged a 25-year-old man after a truck stop on the Hume Highway at Yass on June 17.
Police allegedly located more than 495,000 cigarettes, 13.3 kilograms of tobacco, and 310 vapes inside the locked cargo area, with an estimated street value of more than $760,000.
