WA tobacco wars: War on illegal cigarettes and vapes continue as six shops shut down across the state

Hundreds of thousands of illegal cigarettes and scores of illegal vapes were seized in police and health department stings conducted in Perth and regional cities this week, as tough new tobacco laws came into force. Details of the operations were released to The Sunday Times, with the Cook Government also revealing offenders’ names would be made public on a Health Department website, starting today. WA Health’s new compliance team and WA Police have shut down six premises caught selling illicit tobacco and vapes since new powers kicked in on Wednesday. Police and health officials seized 141,817 illegal cigarettes, 5.2 kilograms of loose tobacco and 613 vapes. “These laws send a very clear and extremely serious message — if you are selling illicit tobacco in Western Australia, you will be caught and shut down,” Police Minister Reece Whitby said. “Our first days of action have caused a major impact on the illicit tobacco trade, which is directly linked to organised crime, so let this be a warning to anyone else involved — we’re only getting started. “These powers are now fully operational and authorities will be knocking on your door, targeting anyone who is selling or storing illicit tobacco in stores across our State.” New tobacco and vaping laws passed the WA Parliament in March. Under the new laws, stores caught selling illegal tobacco and vaping products can be shut down for 90 days. The maximum penalty for possession of a large commercial quantity of illicit tobacco and vaping products is $4.2 million for an individual or $21m for a company, as well as 15 years imprisonment. Vaping is also now banned everywhere that smoking is prohibited. Following this week’s raids, ongoing investigations will now take place to determine further action. “We are wasting no time using these tough new laws to keep our community safe,” Health Minister Meredith Hammat said. “The results from the first 72 hours of these laws being in effect should serve as a serious warning to those still engaging in this dangerous trade. These laws are all about keeping Western Australians safe. “Closure orders are a game changer in our fight against illegal tobacco, and our state and federal agencies will continue to work together to get it off our streets. “ The first closure order was issued following a WA Police Force raid on a Kalgoorlie barber shop on Wednesday, resulting in 1908 illegal cigarettes and approximately 3 kilograms of loose tobacco seized. On Friday, WA Police executed a search warrant in Bunbury, resulting in another closure order in regional Western Australia. A further four closure orders were issued in Perth, following targeted inspections by WA Health in and around the CBD. Ms Hammat revealed perpetrators would be named and shamed on a Government website. The website would include the premise’s name, address and date the closure order begins and ends. “We make no apology to dodgy operators caught selling these harmful products to Western Australians,” she said. “WA Health’s tobacco compliance team is working closely with WA Police and federal agencies to crackdown on this dangerous trade. “If you are aware of a business that is selling illicit tobacco or vapes in your community, report it now to Crime Stoppers or the WA Health tobacco compliance team Report.TVRD@health.wa.gov.au “ Ms Hammat said more legislation would be introduced into the WA Parliament later this year to further clampdown on the illegal trade. “Our Government isn’t done yet, I’ll be introducing a second tranche of legalisation to further crackdown on the illicit tobacco trade and tighten licencing requirements later this year,” she said.