Overview
- NSW Health ordered two St Leonards stores closed for 90 days after raids conducted the day after new laws took effect on 3 November.
- Inspectors seized 3,860 illicit cigarettes and 224 illegal vapes during the operation at the Pacific Highway shops and checks at two other premises.
- The regime allows NSW Health to seek court-ordered closures of up to 12 months, with new provisions enabling landlords to terminate leases once a closure order is in place.
- Maximum fines now reach $660,000 for individuals and $880,000 for corporations selling without a licence, while a new commercial-possession offence carries penalties up to $1.54 million or seven years’ jail.
- Officials say further raids and prosecutions are planned with NSW Police support, citing earlier statewide seizures of more than 11.8 million cigarettes and about 170,000 illegal vapes this year.