Darling Downs store defies vape ban during illicit tobacco crackdown

While Darling Downs Health officials hailed the recent seizure of thousands of vapes and illicit cigarettes as a success, a store that they raided has reopened.

Darling Downs Health Public Health Unit officials seized 190,000 illicit cigarettes, about 43kg of loose chop chop tobacco and about 2400 illegal vapes in the past two months.

While the head of the Darling Downs Public Health Unit was holding a press conference to mark a successful operation that seized thousands of illicit tobacco products, one of the operation’s targets was back to its old tricks.

The Darling Downs business was ordered to close for 72 hours from last Thursday after it suspected of selling illicit tobacco and nicotine vapes.

It was one of three stores across the Darling Downs Health catchment area that were issued with an interim closure notice since June 1.

In that time, officers from the DDHPHU had seized more than 190,000 illegal cigarettes, 43kg of loose, chop-chop tobacco and 2440 vapes.

But despite the crackdown, staff from The Chronicle observed a member of the public purchase a vape from the store on the way to the press conference.

Darling Downs Health Public Health Unit officials seized 190,000 illicit cigarettes, about 43kg of loose chop chop tobacco and about 2400 illegal vapes in the past two months.

When asked if the laws were adequate, DDH executive director of nursing and midwifery Ali Broadbent said the PHU staff were still investigating the store.

“The important thing is that we do go in when we know there is illicit tobacco and vapes, we do what we need to do, we do shut them down,” she said.

“We will work with Queensland Health and investigators to do what we need to do to target those illicit businesses.”

Under the current state and federal laws, nicotine vapes can only be sold by licensed pharmacies if a user has a valid prescription. All nicotine products must comply with plain packaging laws.

Not only do the vapes sold by dozens of black market retailers breach these laws, the tobacco they sell is often smuggled into Australia by organised crime networks.

The amount seized is just a fraction of what is sold, with British American Tobacco estimating a mid-sized retailer can clear up to $800,000 per year in illicit sales.

The Queensland government has moved to strengthen its laws by targeting the retailers’ landlords.

Under proposed legislation, a landlord who knowingly allows illicit tobacco products to be sold at their premises will face fines of up to $160,000 or a year in jail.

It would seek to extend the interim closure period from three days to three months.

It has also earmarked $12m in the current budget to employ an extra 43 PHU officers across Queensland.

Ms Broadbent said the sale of illicit tobacco was a health risk for the community.

“The black market in tobacco and vapes is likely to undo all the successful work that has been done in Queensland to curb smoking rates and reduce preventable disease and death,” she said.

“Vaping is not a safe alternative to tobacco and these devices contain known cancer-causing chemicals and research shows that they can be a gateway to cigarette smoking for young people.”