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Tag: Australia

  • Aussie Tobacco Retailers Warned to File for Licenses  

    Aussie Tobacco Retailers Warned to File for Licenses  

    Less than two weeks ahead of mandatory enforcement under Victoria, Australia’s new tobacco licensing scheme, the state’s Premier and Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation is urging all tobacco retailers and wholesalers to apply for a license before the February 1 deadline. The program, part of a broader crackdown on illicit tobacco and organized crime, allows businesses that apply before the deadline to continue trading while applications are assessed, while anyone applying on or after February 1 would have to wait for approval.

    Tobacco Licensing Victoria, supported by Victoria Police, will enforce compliance with penalties of up to A$170,948 ($114535) and five years’ jail for individuals selling without a license, with businesses facing fines exceeding A$854,000 ($572,000). The initiative, backed by A$46 million ($30.8 million) in the 2025/26 budget, also grants inspectors powers to suspend or cancel licenses, seize illegal products, and pursue court action, with strict eligibility criteria ensuring licenses are granted only to “fit and proper” applicants.

  • Australian Officials Seize $1.1M in Illegal Tobacco Products

    Australian Officials Seize $1.1M in Illegal Tobacco Products

    Two men in Australia have been charged following the seizure of more than A$1.6 million ($1.1 million) worth of illegal tobacco and vaping products during a joint law enforcement operation in Sydney’s southwest district.

    Police executed a search warrant at a Riverwood warehouse January 19, seizing 40,000 branded cigarettes, more than 600 kg of molasses tobacco, loose-leaf tobacco, nicotine pouches, vapes, and other assorted cigarettes, along with mobile phones and electronic devices. A 44-year-old man was arrested at the premises and charged with possessing a commercial quantity of vaping goods, while a 26-year-old man was arrested nearby and charged with dealing with the proceeds of crime and possession of a prohibited weapon after police allegedly found cash and an electronic stun device in his vehicle.

  • Australia Hoping Enforcement Will Curb Illicit Tobacco Crisis

    Australia Hoping Enforcement Will Curb Illicit Tobacco Crisis

    Western Australia is moving to significantly strengthen its response to the illicit tobacco trade, announcing the creation of a dedicated taskforce led by WA Police Superintendent Steve Post, newly appointed as the state’s “illicit tobacco czar.” The government says the initiative is a response to escalating criminal activity linked to illegal tobacco, including arson attacks, firebombings, and drive-by shootings targeting retail outlets across Perth and regional areas. Estimates suggest illicit cigarettes now account for at least half of Australia’s tobacco market, costing taxpayers up to A$11.8 billion ($7.9 billion) annually.

    The taskforce will sit within the Department of Health and draw on a mix of retired officers and serving police transitioning from frontline duties, to tighten compliance and enforcement under tougher tobacco laws currently being drafted. An initial A$5 million ($3.4 million) funding allocation will boost the Tobacco Compliance Unit to around 40 full-time equivalent staff, with new powers expected to allow authorities to immediately shut down non-compliant premises.

    The WA move mirrors intensifying crackdowns in other states, particularly New South Wales, where the Minns government has launched dozens of raids, confiscated illicit cigarettes and vapes, and issued 90-day and longer closure orders. However, industry observers and local governments warn that enforcement alone is struggling to keep pace with the scale of the black market, as, for example, law loopholes allow shuttered tobacco retailers to reopen nearby under generic “shop” or “retail premises” classifications, undermining enforcement efforts.

    Public policy critics and harm reduction advocates argue the crisis reflects deeper structural failures rather than a lack of enforcement. The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates has told a Senate inquiry that Australia’s illicit tobacco problem is the predictable outcome of restrictive policies that eliminated legal access to safer nicotine alternatives while demand persisted.

  • Van Stopped with Nearly $500K in Illicits in Australia

    Van Stopped with Nearly $500K in Illicits in Australia

    A man has been charged after cigarettes and tobacco worth A$752,000 ($496,000) were seized during a road stop in Australia’s south yesterday (December 18). Officers stopped a van on the southbound lane of the Hume Highway, Gundagai, for the purpose of random testing. Police searched the van and seized 400 kg of loose-leaf tobacco and 235,000 illicit cigarettes.

    The man was issued with a field court attendance notice for goods in custody, to appear in Gundagai Local Court in February.

  • Queensland Shuts 148 Stores, Seizes $10.4M in 10-Day Blitz

    Queensland Shuts 148 Stores, Seizes $10.4M in 10-Day Blitz

    Queensland authorities closed 148 stores and seized more than A$15.7 million ($10.4 million) worth of illegal smoking products in a 10-day enforcement operation that ended last week. Dubbed Operation Major, the blitz targeted illicit cigarettes, loose tobacco, vapes, vaping liquids, and nicotine pouches, resulting in the confiscation of 11.8 million cigarettes, 1.7 tons of loose tobacco, 87,000 vapes, 4.2 liters of vaping liquid, and 270,000 nicotine pouches.

    The closures were executed under new laws allowing Queensland Health to shut stores for 90 days without a court order. Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the operation demonstrates the state’s commitment to cracking down on illegal tobacco and vaping products, warning that black-market operators will be aggressively pursued.

    Theo Foukkare, CEO of the Australian Association of Convenience Stores, welcomed the move but noted that illicit traders are shifting online due to federal inaction on illegal tobacco. He emphasized the need for coordinated national measures to redirect consumers to the regulated market.

  • Extent of Australia’s Illicit Tobacco Crisis Coming to Light

    Extent of Australia’s Illicit Tobacco Crisis Coming to Light

    Australia’s illicit tobacco trade is believed to be nearing double the size of the legal market, with excessive excise rates driving a surge in smuggled cigarettes, illicit tobacco and e-cigarette commissioner Amber Shuhyta warned. She told the Senate that estimates of black-market products may be approaching 65% of all tobacco sold, fueled by retail cigarette prices approaching A$50 ($33) a pack. Smuggled packs sell for about A$15 ($9.90), pulling revenue away from legitimate retailers and the federal budget.

    Legal tobacco sales are collapsing, she said. Supplier Metcash reported a 35% drop in sales over the six months to October, while Australia’s tobacco tax take has fallen from 0.8% of national income to below 0.3% in five years—creating a A$69 billion ($45.5 billion) budget shortfall.

    Meanwhile, organized crime groups competing for control of the illegal tobacco and vaping market have been linked to murders, extortion, and hundreds of fire bombings nationwide. Border Force Commissioner Gavan Reynolds said officers seized more than 2.5 billion cigarettes last financial year and intercepted 439 tons of loose tobacco, worth an estimated A$4.4 billion ($2.9 billion) in evaded duty. He said enforcement now targets the supply chain “before the border, at the border, and post-border.”

  • ‘Cappuccino Strip’ Has Illicit Tobacco Hiding in Plain Site: Story  

    ‘Cappuccino Strip’ Has Illicit Tobacco Hiding in Plain Site: Story  

    Today (November 26), the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), published a story titled “Why convenience stores along Fremantle cafe strip are the front line of WA’s illegal tobacco trade,” highlighting how Australia’s famous “cappuccino strip” has become a hub for illegal tobacco sales, with dozens of convenience stores quietly selling unlicensed cigarettes and loose tobacco.

    The story says each store is a carbon copy of the others, with scant products on the shelves, with the illicit money-making products that keep the store open hidden in cabinets and under counters. Despite widespread concern, Western Australian authorities lack the legal power to immediately shut down offenders, allowing the trade to flourish in plain sight.

    The Australian Council on Smoking and Health (ACOSH) has long called for updated laws, pointing to South Australia and Queensland, where tougher enforcement and heavy fines have successfully curtailed illicit sales. ACOSH chief Laura Hunter described the problem as an enforcement issue, not a tax one.

    WA Health reports nearly one million cigarettes and 160 kg of loose tobacco seized in the past two years, but these figures pale in comparison to federal-level busts. Nationwide, tobacco excise revenue has fallen from A$16 billion ($10.4 billion) in 2019 to A$7.4 billion ($4.8 billion)  this year, while major retailers like Coles and Woolworths have lost over half their tobacco revenue, leaving the market open to criminal operators.

    Local leaders are exploring measures to curb the spread. Fremantle Mayor Ben Lawver noted that the city has 16 convenience-type shops in the CBD alone and is considering rezoning them as discretionary uses, giving the council some control over new openings.

    In the meantime, the illicit tobacco trade continues to thrive, with limited state resources available to enforce existing laws, the story concluded.

  • South Australia Closes 100 Stores for Selling Illicit Tobacco, Vapes

    South Australia Closes 100 Stores for Selling Illicit Tobacco, Vapes

    Since June 5, South Australia has issued 100 28-day closure orders to stores selling illicit tobacco and vapes, seizing products valued at approximately A$50 million ($32.5 million), including 41 million cigarettes, 140,000 vapes, and 13,585 kg of loose tobacco. The closures are part of a state-led crackdown, supported by a A$16 million ($10.4 million) illicit tobacco taskforce targeting both metropolitan and regional outlets. Two long-term closures have already been issued, with five more pending in the Magistrates Court.

    The Malinauskas Government emphasized that the crackdown disrupts organized crime networks and enforces penalties of up to A$6.6 million ($4.3 million) for large-scale illicit sales, while landlords knowingly allowing such sales can face fines up to A$50,000 ($32,500).

  • NSW to Punish Landlords Who Enable Illegal Tobacco Sales

    NSW to Punish Landlords Who Enable Illegal Tobacco Sales

    Australia’s Minns Labor Government introduced the Public Health (Tobacco) Amendment (Landlord Offences) Bill 2025, creating a new offence for commercial landlords who knowingly allow tenants to sell illicit tobacco or illegal vapes. “These penalties ensure we target landlords who knowingly permit illegal activity while protecting legitimate businesses and communities,” said health minister Ryan Park.

    Once enacted, landlords who are aware of illicit activities but fail to act or report them could face up to one year in prison, a $165,000 fine, or both.

    The move follows months of enforcement action, with New South Wales Health and Police seizing over 11.8 million cigarettes, 2,000kg of tobacco, and 170,000 illegal vapes valued at nearly A$19 million ($12.4 million) between January and October 2025. Courts have imposed $597,200 ($388,180) in fines across 17 prosecutions, with 27 more cases pending.

    The legislation complements recent reforms introducing multi-million-dollar fines and prison terms for possession and sale of illicit tobacco, closure orders for offending premises, and new powers for lease termination and license fraud offences.

  • Illegal Tobacco Costs Australia Billions, Fuels Crime

    Illegal Tobacco Costs Australia Billions, Fuels Crime

    Australia’s illegal tobacco market has cost the government A$3.3 billion ($2.1 billion) in excise revenue, with organized crime controlling much of the trade, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) said in a report today (November 6). About one in five cigarettes sold is illicit, as high legal prices push consumers to cheaper alternatives, it said.

    The broader impact, including healthcare and productivity losses, totals A$4 billion ($2.6 billion) annually, with at least three deaths and 200 firebombings linked to “tobacco wars.” The ACIC said the A$4 billion estimate was “almost certainly an underestimate,” as it did not include e-cigarettes and illegal vapes.

    New South Wales Premier Chris Minns called for a federal review of excise rates, while Treasurer Jim Chalmers rejected lowering prices. Illicit tobacco is part of a growing A$82.3 billion ($53.5 billion) organized crime burden, alongside illegal vapes, according to the report.