Service stations nationwide raided over illegal tobacco, vapes

What it is about

Who published it, and when

How it spread - 42 original reports, 17 reprints

1. Tue, 11 August 2026

   2 reports
   • ABC News (Australia)07:38
     Service stations nationwide raided over illegal tobacco, vapes

     More than 100 service stations across the country have been raided, in a coordinated blitz targeting "suspected criminal activity" and the alleged sale of illicit tobacco and vapes.

   • perthnow.com.au09:15first to report
     'We're coming': police launch illegal tobacco crackdown

     Federal agencies have launched a nationwide crackdown on the sale and supply of illegal tobacco, as more than 100 service stations are raided.

     2 reprints

     • newcastleherald.com.au11 Aug, 09:12their copy
     • macleayargus.com.au11 Aug, 09:12their copy
2. Wed, 19 August 2026

   2 reports
   • watoday.com.au19:00
     $100m illegal tobacco haul after tip-off from China

     The seizure includes 60 million illegal cigarettes and 60 kilograms of loose-leaf tobacco hidden in 91 shipping containers.

   • ABC News (Australia)21:00
     Australia and China cooperate to bust illegal tobacco smuggling syndicate

     Australian Border Force officers are tipped off to containers suspected of carrying illicit tobacco, resulting in millions of cigarettes being seized.

3. Thu, 20 August 2026

   1 report
   • ABC News (Australia)05:08edited after publishing
     Darwin man allegedly laundered $9.36m through illegal tobacco business

     previouslyDarwin man charged with money laundering from illicit tobacco sales

     Police have arrested and charged a 33-year-old Darwin man for allegedly laundering millions of dollars through an illegal tobacco business, following a four-month investigation by Northern Territory Police alongside Australian Border Force.

4. Tue, 25 August 2026

   1 report
   • ABC News (Australia)19:12
     'Innocent parcels' caught up illicit tobacco bust

     Recent crackdowns on crime networks leave some Chinese Australian customers caught in the fallout, with their legitimate parcels stuck in affected depots.

5. Fri, 28 August 2026

   2 reports
   • portstephensexaminer.com.au07:23
     Tobacco tax call up in smoke as politicians squabble

     URL changednow www.portstephensexaminer.com.au/story/9339540/tobacco-laws-a-christmas-present-for-crime-networks/

     Cutting the tobacco excise in a bid to stub out the black market has been dismissed by the...

     2 reprints

     • queanbeyanage.com.au28 Aug, 07:23their copy
     • sconeadvocate.com.au28 Aug, 07:23their copy
   • ABC News (Australia)18:49
     Australia's tobacco tax crushed smoking. Has it gone too far?

     A decade ago, illegal cigarettes made up about 10 per cent of sales in Australia. Now it's 80 per cent, so how did we get here?

6. Tue, 1 September 2026

   1 report
   • Channel News Asia01:00
     How Australia and Singapore are disrupting regional illicit tobacco networks

     Border agencies are sharing intelligence and targeting suspect shipments to strengthen supply chain security across the region.

7. Wed, 2 September 2026

   3 reports
   • Tagesschau (Germany)13:04
     Australien: Hohe Steuern auf Zigaretten, boomender Schwarzmarkt

     Rauchen ist teuer, vor allem in Australien. Eine Packung kann dort umgerechnet 40 Euro kosten. Der Schwarzmarkt mit illegal importierten Kippen boomt. Ist die Strategie, Tabak hoch zu besteuern, gescheitert? Von Florian Bahrdt.

   • ABC News (Australia)21:13edited after publishing
     Coalition unveils plan to slash tobacco tax by $24 a pack

     previouslyCoalition unveils plan to slash tobacco tax by $24

     A future Coalition government would slash the tobacco excise by 80 per cent, legalise and tax vapes and nicotine pouches, and bolster law enforcement to shut down the illicit trade.

   • The Guardian World23:23edited after publishing
     Home loan applications down by 15% since budget, CBA says – as it happened

     previouslyAustralia news live: Marles and Hegseth meet in Washington; teen charged after ‘near complete amputation’ of boy’s hand

     This blog is now closed Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Shadow treasurer says tobacco plans would bring in extra billions and stop people buying from the ‘black market’ Tim Wilson, the shadow treasurer, said the tobacco proposal would bring in an extra $2bn a year as it would stop people “buying products from the black market”. We’ve been looking at this policy for a long time , but what we’ve been looking at is how do you break it down for the different parts of...

8. Thu, 3 September 2026

   2 reports
   • nvi.com.au04:02
     'No brainer': tobacco tax-cut idea could crush crime

     An economist has joined the call for a drastic cut to the tobacco excise, as the coalition pledges...

     4 reprints from 3 outlets

     • hardenexpress.com.au3 Sept, 04:02their copy
     • northweststar.com.au3 Sept, 04:02their copy
     • hardenexpress.com.au3 Sept, 04:02their copy
     • bordermail.com.au3 Sept, 04:02their copy
   • The Guardian World05:05
     Coalition plan to cut tobacco excise by 80% ‘will kill people,’ Labor says amid public health alarm

     Angus Taylor and Matt Canavan claim drastic cut to price of cigarettes and moves to legalise vapes will combat illicit tobacco trade Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Leading public health experts, the Australian Medical Association and Labor have rejected Angus Taylor’s plan to cut tobacco excise by 80%, labelling the move to curb soaring illegal cigarette sales as a backward step on tobacco control. Taylor and...

9. Sun, 6 September 2026

   1 report
   • ABC News (Australia)00:41
     Cutting cigarette tax will not create more smokers, Angus Taylor says

     The opposition leader says slashing the tax on a pack of cigarettes by more than $20 will not lead to more smokers, as the cost of illegal cigarettes is already at that price.

10. Tue, 8 September 2026

    3 reports
    • ABC News (Australia)02:55
      Border Force seizes 1.7m cigarettes, thousands of vapes in WA, NT raids

      The Australian Border Force has seized more than 1.7 million illegal cigarettes and thousands of vapes with a street value of more than $800,000 in a joint operation across Western Australian and the Northern Territory.

    • ABC News (Australia)08:01
      Smokers should face tougher penalties over illicit tobacco, police chief suggests

      SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has said consumer-side penalties for the purchase of illicit tobacco "is a question that needs to be considered".

    • ABC News (Australia)23:51
      Shops selling illegal tobacco in Victoria face closure from today

      Inspectors have the power to close businesses on the spot for up to 90 days if they are found to be selling illegal tobacco products.

11. Wed, 9 September 2026

    2 reports
    • nvi.com.au01:04
      Albanese leaves door open to cutting tobacco excise

      Labor's leader is now declining to guarantee the government won't cut the levy, as One Nation says keeping...

      3 reprints

      • camdencourier.com.au9 Sept, 01:04their copy
      • moreechampion.com.au9 Sept, 01:04their copy
      • therural.com.au9 Sept, 01:04their copy
    • ABC News (Australia)19:02
      New tobacco laws target criminals from importers to shopfronts

      Suspiciously cheap cigarettes and non-compliant packaging could help prosecutors establish whether tobacco was illicit under a crackdown targeting organised crime and retailers.

12. Thu, 10 September 2026

    1 report
    • The Guardian World01:34edited after publishing
      RSL says One Nation’s Hastie ‘slur’ was an ‘attack on every veteran’s service’ – as it happened

      previouslyAustralia politics live: furious Lambie warns Hastie cartoon shows Hanson’s ‘true colours’; ‘no graver accusation’ than traitor, Paterson says

      This blog is now closed Labor introducing new laws to crack down on illegal tobacco Labor will introduce new laws to make it easier to prosecute criminals involved in the illicit tobacco trade, as the government fights an uphill battle against the exploding black market. The new laws think about it as a list of observable indicators, very simple, fact-based things like: is the tobacco appropriately packaged? Is it a menthol cigarette even hiding in plain packaging? Is it being concealed? Does...

13. Fri, 11 September 2026

    1 report
    • muswellbrookchronicle.com.au04:59
      'Cherrypicking': doubt over Labor's chosen smoking data

      A survey that claims to show smoking rates declining, despite an explosion in black market tobacco, may have...

14. Thu, 17 September 2026

    1 report
    • scoop.co.nz20:30
      A Promise Left Unfinished Could Hold The Key To A Smokefree New Zealand

      Around 300,000 New Zealand adults continue to smoke. Many have tried vaping but did not continue. For them, another option may make the difference.

15. Sat, 19 September 2026

    1 report
    • The Guardian World20:00edited after publishing
      As tobacconist firebombings intensify in Melbourne, nearby stores are being denied insurance

      Arson attacks related to illegal tobacco trade are also causing revenue and reputation problems for neighbouring businesses Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Small businesses located near tobacconists are being denied insurance or priced out of coverage as rising arson attacks turn neighbouring shops into collateral damage. The problem has intensified after a spate of firebombings, which includes a recent...

16. Mon, 21 September 2026

    1 report
    • Le Monde (France)03:00edited after publishing
      En Australie, où le prix du paquet de cigarette va de 25 à 43 euros, le crime organisé est devenu le premier fournisseur

      previouslyLe crime organisé, premier fournisseur de cigarettes en Australie

      Le prix exorbitant du tabac pousse la plupart des fumeurs à se tourner vers le marché noir, qui représente 80 % de la quantité de nicotine consommée sur l’île-continent.

17. Mon, 28 September 2026

    1 report
    • theage.com.au05:50
      TikTok and Meta ran hundreds of ads for illegal tobacco, vapes

      The ads, many of which have since been pulled, helped to fuel a mammoth black market that has spawned firebombings and crime around the country.

18. Sat, 3 October 2026

    1 report
    • ABC News (Australia)20:12edited after publishing
      Social media giants allowing illegal tobacco ads, Quit says

      previouslyQuit says tobacco ads slipping through cracks on social media

      Public health organisation Quit says the war against illegal tobacco ads on social media is only scratching the surface.

19. Sun, 4 October 2026

    2 reports
    • ABC News (Australia)18:30
      Legal cigarette sales, Quitline calls surge after state crackdown

      Calls to Quitline more than doubled in the days after major tobacco black market enforcement operations in Queensland, suggesting the crackdown may encourage some smokers to quit.

    • ABC News (Australia)20:14edited after publishing
      Live: Chris Bowen won't detail final cost of pre-COP meeting

      previouslyLive: Albanese heads to pre-COP in Fiji, Tuvalu

      Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen hasn't detailed the final cost of the pre-COP Pacific meeting starting today. Follow live.

20. Mon, 5 October 2026

    2 reports
    • ABC News (Australia)02:52
      Illegal tobacco crackdown in Victoria has come too late, says ex-policeman

      Premier Ben Carroll has conceded the Victorian government should have acted sooner on illegal tobacco but insisted progress had been made since the new enforcement powers came into effect.

    • dailyadvertiser.com.au03:03
      Legal cigarette sales soar after black market crackdown

      URL changednow www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/story/9362443/stores-held-at-gunpoint-for-not-bowing-to-dodgy-tobacco/

      The sale of legal cigarettes has jumped by 55 per cent in Queensland following harsher laws being imposed...

      1 reprint

      • thecourier.com.au5 Oct, 03:03their copy
21. Wed, 7 October 2026

    2 reports
    • areanews.com.au05:41
      Illegal tobacco shops shut amid national clamp down

      Amid a widespread crackdown on illegal tobacco, a senior police taskforce member says the black market cigarette trade...

      2 reprints

      • macleayargus.com.au7 Oct, 05:41their copy
      • bendigoadvertiser.com.au7 Oct, 05:41their copy
    • ABC News (Australia)20:37
      Major Australian gambling companies face restrictions if NT bill passes

      An independent politician is set to introduce a private member's bill to the Northern Territory parliament, which if passed would impose a string of new laws on some of Australia's largest online gambling companies.

22. Thu, 8 October 2026

    1 report
    • ABC News (Australia)18:00
      'Essentially unstoppable': How tobacco cartels funnel cash offshore

      Australia's illicit tobacco trade has become so lucrative that criminal overlords have built a secret pipeline suspected of smuggling tens of millions of dollars overseas.

23. Tue, 13 October 2026

    3 reports
    • ABC News (Australia)01:50
      First suspected illicit tobacco stores in regional Victoria closed by police

      Police, along with Tobacco Licensing Victoria, raid and close four stores suspected of selling illicit tobacco in country Victoria.

    • ABC News (Australia)02:29
      Free nicotine patches on offer to Tasmanian smokers, vapers

      Tasmanians wanting to give up smoking will be given a leg up on their journey with the recent expansion of a free 12-week program offering a wide suite of support.

    • ABC News (Australia)04:44
      Landlords could be jailed over illicit tobacco in SA crackdown

      Landlords would be held more accountable for the sale of illicit tobacco from their tenants' businesses, under a proposed crackdown in SA that would also significantly boost fines and jail time.

24. Wed, 14 October 2026

    3 reports
    • ABC News (Australia)18:00
      The latest tactic in Australia's illegal tobacco trade is hiding in plain sight

      As Labor seeks support for tougher tobacco laws, new intelligence reveals how offshore factories are making illegal cigarettes look like genuine Australian products.

    • gleninnesexaminer.com.au22:14
      Black market hiding illegal cigarettes in plain sight

      The illicit tobacco trade is still going strong through the use of fake Australian plain packaging, as crime...

      2 reprints

      • begadistrictnews.com.au14 Oct, 22:14their copy
      • mandurahmail.com.au14 Oct, 22:14their copy
    • The Guardian World23:32edited after publishing
      Illegal tobacco increasingly hard to spot, with some fakes in plain packaging featuring Australian health warnings

      previouslyIllegal tobacco increasingly hard to spot, with some fakes featuring Australian health warnings

      Government warned that counterfeit tobacco produced by criminal organisations in south-east Asia is becoming more sophisticated Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The black-market tobacco trade continues to thrive as sellers turn to counterfeit packaging to skirt bans, prompting calls for the urgent passing of tougher laws. Intelligence provided to the federal government shows cigarettes in plain Australian-style packaging are being produced illegally at an industrial...

25. Thu, 15 October 2026

    1 report
    • batemansbaypost.com.au18:30
      The state laws that show human rights do not block illegal tobacco crackdown

      Legal expert says better to get ACT laws right to prevent challenge.

      1 reprint

      • canberratimes.com.au15 Oct, 18:30their copy
26. Fri, 16 October 2026

    1 report
    • ABC News (Australia)04:37
      ACT criticised for considering 'human rights' in illegal tobacco trade

      The territory is facing the prospect of being the last jurisdiction in the country to introduce laws to shut down illegal vape and cigarette shops.