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Tag: Australia

  • Australia Steps Up Illicit Tobacco Crackdown

    Australia Steps Up Illicit Tobacco Crackdown

    Australia is ramping up its response to the illicit tobacco and vape market, with plans for tougher penalties, new offences, and expanded enforcement powers targeting organized crime, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. More than half of tobacco products sold are estimated to be illegal, generating between A$4.1 billion and A$6.9 billion ($2.9-$4.8 billion) for criminal groups and costing up to A$11.8 billion ($8.3 billion) in lost excise revenue. Proposed reforms include tripling jail terms, enabling asset seizures, and elevating tobacco offences to “serious crime” status.

    Former Australian Border Force officer Rohan Pike said stronger penalties would be welcome if “enforced rigorously and in a sustained way,” but cautioned that enforcement alone is insufficient. He noted excise remains an “ongoing imbalance in the market” and argued it “needs to be reviewed… to reduce the incentive for criminals,” while also highlighting the need for greater consistency across state and territory enforcement frameworks.

    Authorities said enforcement efforts would increasingly focus on disrupting domestic distribution, including shutting illegal retail outlets, penalizing landlords, and targeting online sales channels, as well as addressing the rapid growth of illicit nicotine pouch imports.

  • South Korean Ring Smuggling to ‘High-Priced’ Markets

    South Korean Ring Smuggling to ‘High-Priced’ Markets

    Authorities in South Korea referred 11 people to prosecutors after uncovering a smuggling ring that shipped 900,000 packs of genuine and counterfeit cigarettes to high-price markets, including Australia and New Zealand. According to Incheon Regional Customs, the group exploited price gaps between countries, buying cigarettes domestically for around 4,500 won ($3.06) per pack and reselling them abroad, where prices can exceed 41,000 won ($27.88). The operation allegedly generated about ₩1 billion ($680,000) in profit from more than 70 shipments between March 2024 and March 2025. Investigators say the ring recruited convenience store owners to source legitimate cigarettes and also purchased large quantities of counterfeit products through illegal channels, disguising shipments as items such as rubber mats before sending them overseas by courier.

  • NSW Tops 100 Store Closures as New Tobacco Taxes Begin  

    NSW Tops 100 Store Closures as New Tobacco Taxes Begin  

    Authorities in Australia’s New South Wales have closed 105 tobacconist shops operating illegally since strengthened tobacco and vaping laws took effect in November 2025. In the past 10 days alone, 30 stores across multiple Local Health Districts were ordered to close for 90 days, with inspectors seizing about 700,000 illicit cigarettes and 3,900 illegal vapes. This comes as a federal tobacco excise increase takes effect today (March 3), raising concerns about a widening price gap between legal and illicit products.

    Under the new laws, NSW Health, supported by NSW Police, can impose 90-day closures on premises selling illicit tobacco, illegal vaping goods, or operating without a license, while courts may issue long-term closures of up to one year. The legislation also introduces penalties of more than A$1.5 million ($1.1 million) and up to seven years’ imprisonment for possession or sale of commercial quantities of illicit tobacco, along with new offences and lease termination powers for landlords. Health Minister Ryan Park said enforcement would intensify with 30 additional inspectors added statewide, bringing the dedicated tobacco compliance team to 78 staff.

  • W. Australia Moves to Strengthen Penalties for Illicits

    W. Australia Moves to Strengthen Penalties for Illicits

    Australia’s Cook Government advanced priority amendments to the Tobacco Products Control Act 2006, with the Legislative Assembly passing the changes and the Legislative Council set to debate them next. The legislation introduces some of the toughest penalties in Australia for businesses caught selling illicit tobacco and vaping products, including fines of up to A$4.2 million ($3 million) for individuals and A$21 million ($14.9 million) for companies, alongside 15 years’ imprisonment. New provisions also allow for store closure orders of up to 90 days while investigations are conducted, giving compliance officers a direct enforcement mechanism to shut down illegal operations.

    Premier Roger Cook emphasized that the laws aim to protect Western Australians, eliminate criminal activity, and target dangerous trades, while Health Minister Meredith Hammat highlighted the role of the expanded Tobacco and Vape Compliance Unit, which recently uncovered nearly 100,000 illicit cigarettes and 37 kilograms of loose-leaf tobacco in regional operations.

  • NSW Increasing Tobacco-Inspector Staff by 62%

    NSW Increasing Tobacco-Inspector Staff by 62%

    New South Wales (Australia) will recruit 30 additional full-time tobacco inspectors to strengthen the state’s Centre for Regulation & Enforcement, expanding the statewide compliance team to 78 staff as authorities intensify efforts against illicit tobacco and vaping products. Since tougher enforcement laws took effect in November 2025, NSW Health and police have closed 66 retailers, including five Sydney Inner West tobacconists last week, while January inspections seized approximately 560,000 cigarettes, 98 kilograms of illicit tobacco, and more than 6,000 illegal vaping products valued at about A$830,000 ($589,000). The government is advancing further legislative measures, including landlord liability provisions and penalties exceeding A$1.5 million ($1.1 million) and seven years’ imprisonment for commercial-scale illicit tobacco offences, as officials warn high federal excise taxes continue to drive demand for illegal products and fuel evolving retail tactics such as QR code and social media-based sales.

  • Aussies Stop $700M in Illegal Nicotine Products at Border in Q2

    Aussies Stop $700M in Illegal Nicotine Products at Border in Q2

    Australian authorities intercepted illicit tobacco and vaping products representing an estimated AUD 1 billion ($700 million) in evaded duties during the second quarter of the 2025–26 financial year, according to the Australian Border Force (ABF). The agency seized more than 467 tons of illegal cigarettes and loose-leaf tobacco through intensified offshore and domestic enforcement operations, alongside growing vape-related detections. Major seizures included 14.4 million cigarettes from China, 2.5 tons of molasses tobacco concealed in cargo, 52,800 vapes hidden in a shipment from Kuala Lumpur, and 5.4 million cigarettes in a falsely declared container from Poland.

  • Australians Seize Machine Capable of Making 3.5M Cigarettes a Day

    Australians Seize Machine Capable of Making 3.5M Cigarettes a Day

    Australian authorities seized a cigarette manufacturing machine capable of producing 3.5 million cigarettes a day during a raid on a Sydney storage unit linked to an alleged illicit tobacco syndicate, the Australian Border Force (ABF) said. The Rouse Hill facility also contained 7.5 kilograms of loose tobacco, nearly 6,000 vaping device components, and suspected counterfeit packaging. No arrests have been made, and investigations with NSW Police are ongoing.

    The seizure comes amid a broader crackdown on illegal tobacco products, with the ABF reporting more than 2.5 billion illicit cigarettes seized nationally in 2024–25 and a federal review estimating illegal products account for at least half of Australia’s tobacco market. NSW Health has also closed 52 stores in recent weeks under expanded enforcement powers targeting suspected illicit tobacco and vape sales.

  • CAPHRA Tells Aussie Senate to Look at New Zealand

    CAPHRA Tells Aussie Senate to Look at New Zealand

    In response to recent announcements across Australia about increasing enforcement in its battle against illicit tobacco and nicotine products, the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) submitted evidence to Australia’s Senate directly comparing New Zealand and the Philippines—both with regulated vaping markets and declining smoking rates—to India and Thailand, where total bans have created underground markets with zero safeguards and rampant youth access.​ 

    CAPHRA said Australia and New Zealand are taking sharply different approaches to tobacco control, with contrasting outcomes reflected in recent data. New Zealand, which allows regulated access to vaping products alongside smoking-cessation support, has reduced adult daily smoking to 6.8%, among the lowest rates globally, while youth smoking has fallen to 3.2%, down from 19.2% a decade ago. Australia, by contrast, has maintained strict prohibitions on nicotine vaping products and focused heavily on enforcement against illicit tobacco, spending about A$157 million ($105 million) on policing and regulatory measures, including appointing a national illicit tobacco coordinator. Despite these efforts, authorities estimate Australia lost A$6.7 billion ($4.5 billion) in tobacco excise revenue in 2023–24, and the illicit tobacco market is valued at roughly A$4 billion ($2.7 billion).

  • 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.