Tasmanian authorities seized nearly A$10 million ($7 million) worth of illicit tobacco and vaping products during the 2025-26 financial year, including 5.43 million cigarettes, 2,535 kilograms of loose tobacco, and nearly 30,000 illegal vapes, following intensified enforcement efforts and closer cooperation between the Department of Health and Tasmania Police. The seizures come as the state implements tougher laws targeting illicit tobacco and vape sales, including higher penalties, new business closure powers, and restrictions on vending machine sales. At the same time, Tasmanian officials are urging Australia’s federal government to reduce tobacco excise taxes, arguing that high cigarette prices are fueling black market growth, reducing excise revenue, and strengthening organized crime despite continued declines in smoking rates.
Category: Global Regulation
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Oregon Court Clears Path for Flavored Tobacco Ban
The Oregon Supreme Court declined to review a lower court ruling upholding Multnomah County’s ban on flavored tobacco and nicotine products, effectively clearing the final legal hurdle for the ordinance to take effect after nearly four years of litigation. The decision follows a similar ruling involving Washington County, meaning flavored tobacco restrictions will soon cover roughly one-third of Oregon’s population.
For the tobacco and vaping industry, the ruling marks a significant legal setback after challenges brought by the 21+ Tobacco and Vapor Retail Association of Oregon and vape retailers failed to overturn the measure. Industry representatives argued the ban will drive consumers to the illicit market rather than reduce youth access, while supporters contend flavored products are a key driver of youth tobacco initiation and view the court’s decision as a major victory for public health policy.
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Philippine Authorities Pushing for Tougher Penalties in Illicit Tobacco Fight
Philippine lawmakers and prosecutors are calling for stronger prosecution efforts to combat the country’s growing illicit tobacco trade, arguing that product seizures alone have failed to deter organized criminal networks. Speaking at the Third International Tobacco Summit, House Public Order and Safety Committee Chair Rolando Valeriano urged law enforcement to prioritize securing convictions, while noting that illicit trade remains highly profitable if offenders are not held accountable. The push comes as a recent EU-ASEAN Business Council and Euromonitor International study estimated the Philippines lost about ₱141 billion ($2.3 billion) in tax revenue over the past two years due to illicit tobacco products, with illegal products accounting for roughly one-quarter of cigarette sales and more than 80% of vape sales.
Officials also highlighted proposals for an Anti-Illicit Trade law that would strengthen prosecutions, improve interagency coordination, and introduce track-and-trace technology, while prosecutors acknowledged that many existing cases require additional evidence before they can proceed to trial.
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Philippines Seizes $48M in Illegal Cigarettes
Philippine authorities are preparing to destroy more than ₱3 billion ($48 million) worth of smuggled cigarettes after seizing 59 container vans of the Modern Gia brand in coordinated operations across Cebu and Manila. The Bureau of Customs and the National Bureau of Investigation said the shipment, believed to have originated in China, is one of the country’s largest cigarette smuggling busts this year and announced plans to file multiple criminal charges against those involved, including financiers and organizers, under customs, tax, anti-economic sabotage, and potential intellectual property laws.
Officials said the cigarettes will be shredded rather than auctioned to prevent them from re-entering the market, while investigations continue into the shipment’s origins, associated companies, and any public officials who may have facilitated the operation.
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Serbia Pulls Nearly 25K Vapes from Market
Serbia’s Ministry of Agriculture ordered the withdrawal of 24,852 flavored electronic cigarettes from the market, valued at approximately 24 million dinars ($230,000), after an extraordinary inspection found the products failed to comply with the country’s Tobacco Law. The Agricultural Inspection banned further distribution of the identified products until the regulatory violations are corrected, stating the action is intended to ensure consistent enforcement of tobacco regulations, protect consumers, and maintain fair competition among businesses. Authorities said inspections of tobacco and related products will continue to intensify, with additional enforcement measures to be taken whenever non-compliant products are identified.
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Malaysian Police Bust International MDMA Hub
Malaysian police dismantled a foreign-run drug syndicate that allegedly used the country as a processing and packaging hub for MDMA-laced vape cartridges destined for Indonesia. In Operation Pijat, authorities arrested eight foreign nationals in Selangor and seized approximately 500 vape cartridges containing suspected MDMA, nearly 5 kg of the drug, and bottles of liquid MDMA with an estimated street value of RM152,400 ($38,000). Police believe the group had been operating since February, using remote locations to prepare the illicit products before smuggling them by sea, and said the syndicate had likely completed several overseas shipments before the operation disrupted its activities.
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UK Opens Consultation for Potential Vape Restrictions
Today (July 10), the UK Department of Health and Social Care announced the launch of a 12-week consultation on sweeping new restrictions covering the packaging, appearance, and retail display of vaping, tobacco, and nicotine products under powers granted by the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026. Running through Oct. 2, the consultation proposes requiring vapes to be sold in standardized white packaging with limited branding; restricting devices to black, white, or gray; banning cosmetic lighting and non-essential digital screens; and limiting flavor names to simple descriptors such as “berry” or “mint.” The proposals would also prohibit the public display of vapes at retail, requiring them to be kept out of sight, while extending standardized packaging rules to all tobacco products, including cigars, pipe tobacco, rolling papers, and heated tobacco kits. Tobacco packs would also be required to include government-specified quit-line inserts, and duty-free stores and airports would lose exemptions allowing tobacco displays.
If adopted, the measures would require manufacturers and retailers to redesign packaging, update product portfolios, and modify store layouts, while further reducing opportunities for brand differentiation. The government said the proposals are intended to curb youth vaping while preserving access for adults using vaping products to quit smoking. Health Secretary James Murray said the consultation aims to make vaping “less attractive for children and young people,” citing concerns over colorful packaging and youth-oriented product names. According to Action on Smoking and Health, 19% of 11- to 17-year-olds in Britain have tried vaping.
Observers who advocate for harm-reduction methods, however, were critical of the announcement.
“Most people wrongly believe that vaping is at least as dangerous as smoking,” said Christopher Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs. “This ignorance has led to vapers switching back to cigarettes and to smokers not switching to vapes. The government should be hammering home the message that vaping is a much safer alternative. Instead, it is sending the message that vapes are as bad as cigarettes by treating the two products the same. The forthcoming vape tax combined with a display ban and plain packaging will keep people smoking.”
“A one-size-fits-all approach that treats reduced-risk, smoke-free products in the same way as cigarettes risks making it harder for adult smokers to identify and switch to better alternatives,” said Dr. Marina Murphy, Head of External Affairs UK and Scientific Affairs at Haypp Group. “The most effective way to prevent youth access is through robust age-verification, enforcement of existing laws, and action against illicit sales. Packaging should support informed adult choice without undermining these measures or reducing the ability of smokers to identify less harmful alternatives.”
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Belarus Raising Tobacco Excise Stamps
Belarus increased the cost of excise tax stamps on tobacco products in two stages, with standard stamps rising from 2 kopecks to 3 kopecks ($0.007 to $0.011) through the end of 2026 and to 4 kopecks ($0.014) beginning Jan. 1, 2027. Self-adhesive stamps used for certain imported products marked at customs warehouses increased from 2 kopecks to 8 kopecks ($0.028) and will rise to 10 kopecks ($0.035) next year.
Despite the higher stamp costs, the changes are not expected to affect retail cigarette prices because prices are state-controlled and the stamp cost remains minimal compared with tobacco excise taxes. Current excise duties amount to 133.94 Belarusian rubles ($46.50) per 1,000 cigarettes in the first price category and 175.09 rubles ($60.80) for the second category.
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Alabama Denies Injunction Fighting Vape Regulatory Laws
The Alabama Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision denying a preliminary injunction against the state’s 2025 law regulating electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), allowing the law to remain in effect while litigation continues. The court ruled that the Vapor Technology Association and retailer Southside Vape had standing to challenge the law, but were unlikely to succeed on their claims that it is preempted by federal law or violates the dormant Commerce Clause.
The justices found that the federal Tobacco Control Act preserves states’ authority to regulate the sale and distribution of tobacco products more stringently than federal requirements, and that Alabama’s restrictions serve a legitimate public health purpose rather than unlawfully discriminating against interstate or foreign commerce. The law establishes certification requirements, fees, and an ENDS product directory, with penalties for retailers selling products not listed on the state-approved directory.
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Malaysia Confiscated 700kg of Drug-Laced Vapes Since 2023
Malaysian authorities seized more than 718 kg of illegal vape and e-cigarette products suspected of containing prohibited substances between 2023 and June 2026, according to the Home Ministry. The products were found to contain substances including synthetic drugs, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), mushroom extracts, and other psychoactive compounds. Over the period, authorities recorded 400 cases and arrested 585 individuals.
The ministry said the illicit products were primarily marketed to youths and students through social media, e-commerce platforms, and courier services, and announced plans to strengthen intelligence gathering, cyber monitoring, and forensic laboratory capabilities to identify and disrupt the illegal trade.