State Government action to stamp out illegal black market tobacco and vape sales are set to intensify.
Already, Gympie’s Sunshine Coast Health District has seen the seizure of more than 215,715 illegal cigarettes, 18.4kg of loose tobacco and 1413 vapes, in raids on retail outlets led by Queensland Health between May and July, a district spokesperson said.
And to the region’s north, Queensland Health prosecutions in Hervey Bay have shut down six illegal retail outlets.
The spokesperson said prosecutions under relatively new laws can result in significant fines or jail for “commercial supply and possession of illicit nicotine products.”
The laws, now with increased penalties, can mean up to two years jail and/or fines up to $322,600 for individual offenders or $1.6 million for corporations.
And there is more to come, Health Minister Tim Nicholls has announced.
Queensland Health had now budgeted $12.7 million for 40 new enforcement officers, to be recuited this financial year.
Fines, increased in April this year have resulted in a total of $19.7 million in penalties, making a total since November of $25.3 million, from 2481 penalty infringement notices.
Mr Nicholls said total seizures since November were 45 million illicit cigarettes, 350,000 vapes, and six tonnes of loose tobacco.
Almost $20 million worth of fines have been issued to traders caught stocking and selling illegal smoking and vaping products, he said.
He said Operation Appaloosa in March had yielded Australia’s largest ever health authority seizures – more than 76,000 vapes, 19 million cigarettes and 3.6 tonnes of loose tobacco.
