Overview
- NSW Health issued the first immediate closure orders to two St Leonards shops after new laws took effect on 3 November.
- Inspectors seized 3,860 illicit cigarettes and 224 illegal vapes during the closures and checks at two additional premises.
- The laws permit short-term shutdowns of up to 90 days and allow courts to impose closures of up to 12 months.
- Penalties have been sharply increased, including a new offence for commercial possession of illicit tobacco carrying fines of about $1.5 million and up to seven years’ jail, and higher fines for unlicensed sales.
- The Minns government links the large black market to high federal excise, citing ATO estimates of a $3.2 billion trade, and says raids will ramp up statewide with police support.