Tens-of-thousands of smokes seized as Darwin tobacconist raided

Police have had a big win in the fight against illegal tobacco, but candy-flavoured vapes are still on the market. Read why.

Police, government and business are embroiled in a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse as new anti-vaping laws are bedded down and illegally imported cigarettes flood the market.

NT Police and licensing officials have had a number of wins since the new vape laws were implemented nationally on July 1, but alert NT News readers say at least one Darwin CBD business is still selling vapes.

And police recently had a big hit in their campaign against illegal tobacco currently on sale in the Territory, with a raid seizing tens-of-thousands of imported cigarettes.

Millner’s heavily fortified R1 Tobacconist. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Police said that on September 26, in a multi-agency operation between NT police and Australian Border Force, a search warrant was conducted at R1 Tobacconist in Millner, with about 31,000 illicit cigarettes and a quantity of cash seized in the raid.

Police said recently received specific information regarding R1 Tobacconist, “prompted police to take action”, and said they were aware of the sale of illegal tobacco.

Execution of the law is complicated by the various government bodies that have agency over illegal tobacco and vapes.

The Department of Trade, Business and Asian Relations is responsible for licencing and compliance in the Territory under the Tobacco Control Act 2002, meaning it can cancel or suspend tobacco retail licenses.

Police said while the R1 investigation was still underway, prosecutions would be considered.

R1 Tobacconist was still trading on Tuesday behind seemingly home-built bollards to prevent ram-raids, and metal cladding.

Meanwhile, readers have contacted the NT News to report candy-flavoured vapes on sale at a convenience store in the Darwin area.

Imported tobacco products on sale at R1 Tobacconist in April.

An NT Health spokesman said investigations into allegations of selling vapes was underway.

“NT Health continues to work with NT Police and Commonwealth government agencies to investigate the sale of illegal vapes in the Northern Territory,” he said.

The federal government rushed changes through the federal parliament that from July 1, all vapes and vaping products could only be sold in a pharmacy with a prescription from the patient’s doctor.

From October 1, people 18-years and older could buy menthol or nicotine flavoured vapes from participating pharmacies with nicotine concentration of 20mg/mL or less without a prescription, dependent on state laws.

NT Pharmacy Guild president Peter Hatswell

The ongoing trade in illegal vapes in the Territory comes as most local pharmacists resist the call to sell the product under the Commonwealth’s new regulations.

Peter Hatswell, president of the NT Pharmacy Guild, said only a handful of the Territory’s 41 community pharmacies across Darwin, Alice Springs, Palmerston, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Nhulunbuy were selling vapes under the new federal arrangements.

He said guidelines around the new regulations were released days before they were implemented and said many pharmacists were concerned vapes were not approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration as a nicotine cessation device.

He said the requirement to provide a 30-50 minute consult before issuing vapes to patients meant many pharmacists would offer alternate, proven anti-smoking treatments such as gum ahead of unproven vapes.

“Pharmacists will really try and get people onto other well recognised treatments because they’re less harmful than vapes,” Mr Hatswell said.

“Vapes are harmful because you’re taking aerolised oils, turning the oil into a vapour and then breathing it into your lungs.”

He said two members had reported customers becoming angry when they weren’t able to access vapes without the consultation.