Vaping worked for me where no other treatment had,and I haven’t smoked a single cigarette in five years. Fortunately,my cancer has not returned.
The illicit trade in vaping products is not a minor issue. We’re talking about a highly lucrative black market,largely operated by networks including criminal ones that have seamlessly pivoted from illicit tobacco to vaping products. The black market services more than 90 per cent of Australia’s 1.7 million vapers,with an estimated 120 million dodgy disposable vapes illegally imported each year from China alone.
The dark underbelly of this illegal trade is increasingly and alarmingly violent. We’ve witnessed a turf war among criminal groups,complete with firebombing and killings. The modus operandi is chilling – tobacconists are pressured with an “earn or burn” threat,leading to firebombing by outlaw motorcycle gangs,among others. This escalating violence,marked by brazen daytime killings in places such as South Yarra and Craigieburn in Melbourne,is a consequence of the vape ban.
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There is a powerful economic incentive for this black market. A disposable vape,costing as little as $3 from China,can be sold for $35 in Australia. The arithmetic is simple yet compelling for these criminal groups. It’s a low-risk,high-reward enterprise,especially when even a fraction of the smuggled goods making it through customs can ensure profitability.
The cost to the community is huge. No tax is paid on these products and there is a substantial financial burden on law enforcement. The proceeds are channelled into other criminal activities which include drug and sex trafficking.
The sheer volume of illicit products entering Australia makes effective border control nearly impossible. The Australian Border Force,despite its best efforts,can inspect only a tiny fraction of the millions of shipping containers coming into the country each year. Law enforcement’s victories,often celebrated in the media,are but a drop in the ocean compared with the scale of the problem.