Brisbane at centre of Queensland’s illegal cigarette boom

The scale of the cigarette black market in Queensland is revealed in new documents obtained by Brisbane Times.

Government data acquired under right to information laws shows seizures in the state rose significantly in the second half of last year, despite the legitimate tobacco market shrinking nationally.

About 939 alleged breaches were reported in the six months to December. In the 12 months before that, just 439 breaches were recorded.

Illegal Manchester cigarettes bought in Brisbane.Credit: William Davis

About 29 million cigarettes were seized in Queensland between July 2023 and December 2024.

More than 10.6 tonnes of loose-leaf tobacco and 225,000 vapes were also confiscated.

Brisbane was the epicentre, representing just over 30 per cent of all alleged breaches by retailers, while other hotspots included the Gold Coast and Darling Downs.

More than 15 per cent of all tobacco sales are now suspected to be illegal imports sold off the books, according to national estimates used by the Queensland government.

Health Minister Tim Nicholls told parliament on Thursday the department was cracking down on retailers.

“They were allowed to operate in plain sight, selling illicit products to children and young people, and Labor did nothing about it, despite knowing about it,” he told Brisbane Times.

“You only have to drive down the street to see vaping stores and tobacco stores popping up all over Queensland. They are notorious … and Labor let it flourish without taking action.”

Internal reports estimate smoking costs Queensland about $27.4 billion through strain on the healthcare system, loss of productivity and other costs.

An illegal tobacco bust in Brisbane’s Eagle Farm last year. Credit: Australian Border Force

Increased seizures are at least partially attributable to growing enforcement efforts, the government says.

Brisbane Times previously revealed importers were flooding the market with more illegal tobacco than ever.

Many retailers sell illegal cigarettes in plain sight, and some said they were not worried about police.

“They’re illegal … I don’t know where we get them, I’m not the manager,” one seller in the CBD told this masthead.

Another in Fortitude Valley sold us a packet of “Manchester” cigarettes – which cannot be distributed legally anywhere in Australia – for $20.

Brisbane Times visited 10 convenience stores and tobacconists across multiple suburbs in November, 2024. Some were well-known chains and others were independent.

All of them openly sold Manchester cigarettes, and many also stocked illegal Chinese brand “Double Happiness”, Korean brand “ESSE”, imported “Marlboro Reds” and “Winfield Blues”, among others.

Prices ranged from $17 to $25 per packet – about 50 per cent cheaper than most legitimately taxed plain-packaging equivalents.

None of the sellers were prepared to discuss their supply chains.

The Manchester website says it is based at a warehouse at the Jebel Ali Port in Dubai. Packets do not say where they are manufactured.

The cigarettes can be purchased almost 10 million at a time in 12-metre shipping containers. Some retailers stock them in counterfeit Australian plain packaging.

Brisbane Times was told at the time that at least 350 retail businesses across the state were under investigation by Queensland Health, which is responsible for enforcing tobacco regulations.

However, shopfront busts represent just a tiny fraction of what’s coming through national ports.

A sales brochure for Dubai-based cigarette brand Manchester, which has flooded Brisbane’s black market.Credit: Manchester Website

Across Australia, about 1784 tonnes of tobacco – equivalent to about two billion cigarettes – was seized by border forces last financial year.

That equates to about $3 billion in unpaid taxes.

“We strongly encourage Queenslanders to report any suspicious sale of illegal tobacco and nicotine products for investigation,” a spokesperson for Queensland Health said in a statement to Brisbane Times.

“Retailers who illegally sell cigarettes, tobacco, or vapes now face severe penalties, including jail terms, steeper fines, and closures.”

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