Tobacco Frauds. £600 Fine in N.S.W. 

6 April 1945 The West Australian

Making "Bootleg" Leaf. Sydney. April 5.

A Commonwealth Crown Law Department officer said today that inquiries by the special investigation branch of the Customs Department had revealed the greatest revenue frauds in the manufacture and sale of tobacco in the history of Australia. 

At Tumut police court today Dang Charlie Doon, wool and skin merchant, was fined £500 with costs on a charge under section 35 of the Excise Act for unlawfully having manufactured 2.1041b of tobacco. 

Doon was also fined £100 and costs on a charge of having unlawfully conveyed excisable tobacco. 

Mr J. C. Braund, who prosecuted, said that an agent named Robert Baden Chinnery, who was employed by Doon when arrested at Wagga, had 501b of tobacco in his possession which he (Chinnery) described as "bootleg" tobacco.

Subsequent inquiries revealed that the tobacco had been distributed to merchants in 10 southern and Riverina towns where it was sold by well-known retailers at the ordinary price of duty-paid tobacco.

The duty of which the revenue had been defrauded amounted to more than £1,100.