Analysis shows high cigarette prices will continue pushing people towards the illicit tobacco trade,amid surging rates of vaping.
Property owners knowingly making money from an illicit source could find their income and the property subject to asset seizure.
The number of people using vapes in NSW increased last year,but survey data suggests more than half are considering quitting in the next six months.
Big tobacco excise increases have been used to boost the budget bottom line. But fewer smokers,more vapers and a burgeoning black market are killing the tax cash cow.
Nicotine pouches marketed with fruit and confectionery flavours such as mint,watermelon and gummy bears are being illegally imported into Australia.
Victoria’s new tobacco licensing laws must have strict character tests,a dedicated task force and massive fines to avoid being a toothless tiger at stopping the state’s underground turf war,the industry has warned.
Six members of an alleged tobacco importation syndicate have been charged after early morning raids and the seizure of 10 million illicit cigarettes.
The Haddaras are losing out in the fight for control of the illicit tobacco trade as a challenger emerges with a loyal crew who will stop at nothing.
“Hotties”,a slang term used by Melbourne’s underworld to describe a stolen car,have become a crucial ingredient in serious criminal offending,whether it’s burning up a tobacco shop or turning a gun on an enemy.
Illegal tobacco sales have been linked to dozens of firebombings,and new analysis has sparked fears the e-cigarette industry could also become a cash cow for criminals.
Two years after his conviction,investigators still tracking the man’s financial activities suspected that the value of his assets far outweighed his income.