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Under-the-counter cigarettes sell for around $25 a pack and are being imported in huge quantities, mainly from Asia and the Middle East

He says criminal syndicates and outlaw motorcycle gangs have had their claws in tobacco since the days when the crop was legally harvested in Victoria

The national adult smoking rate, which is sitting between 10 to 11 per cent of the population, has been in decline since plain-packaging laws and steep tax increases were imposed on tobacco products almost 15 years ago

But it's been on a steep decline ever since and budget papers reveal the tax take has consistently fallen short of Treasury's forecasts