Close to half a million vapes have been seized as part of a joint operation by Victorian Police and the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
Officers searched a Lennon St warehouse in West Melbourne on April 17 and discovered the vapes, which have a street value estimated at more than $15 million (US$9.7 million).
The find is the largest detection of potentially unlawful vapes in a single joint operation, and the penalty for importation is a maximum of five years imprisonment and/or a fine of $1,252,000.
Two 20-year-old Melbourne men, a 37-year-old Point Cook man, a 31-year-old Southbank man, a 33-year-old Adelaide man, and a 24-year-old man of no fixed abode were arrested by police as part of Taskforce Lunar’s ongoing investigations into organised crime in the illicit tobacco market.
Vaping, the act of inhaling and exhaling vapour produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device, has grown in popularity worldwide. In Australia, the sale and possession of disposable nicotine-containing e-cigarettes and vaping liquids are regulated under the Poisons Standard.
Nicotine is classified as a Schedule 7 “dangerous poison.”
In New South Wales and Queensland, it is legal to possess and use nicotine e-cigarettes if you have a prescription from a registered medical practitioner. This allows people who are trying to quit smoking access to vaping products as a smoking cessation aid.
In Victoria and South Australia, there are no specific laws allowing the use of nicotine e-cigarettes, even with a prescription. This means that possession and use of nicotine e-cigarettes are effectively prohibited in these states.
Vaping Reforms on Importation Are Now in Effect
The Albanese government implemented a ban on all imported disposable vapes from Jan. 1 this year, and any vapes personally imported by members of the public who are without an import licence from March 1 are now destroyed.Those allowed to import must only supply mint, menthol or tobacco in a move aimed at curbing use by young people.
Minister for Health Mark Butler said the Australian Border Force had already seized 4,603 consignments amounting to more than 611,000 vape products since the ban was enacted.
“While the investigation is ongoing—this is the largest identification of suspected unlawful vapes we’ve seen to date—sending a clear message to those seeking to supply vapes,” he said.
“Already more than 611,000 have been seized at the border.
A new national enforcement framework will see a further investment of $25 million towards the Australian Border Force and $56.9 million to the TGA over the next two years. Other initiatives include improved education, better support pathways, and consultation with young people about vaping addiction.
Further reforms are currently before Parliament and Mr. Butler said he hoped they would pass.
“Now we need Parliament to pass our legislation to return vaping to its original purpose of helping hardened smokers to quit—as prescribed by their doctor and purchased at a pharmacy like any other prescription,” Mr. Butler said.
