Australia busted 17,000 smuggled e-cigarettes worth A$1 million

Australian health department staff have busted e-cigarettes worth a total of $1 million in Western Australia, a total of 17,000 units, according to a June 28 report in Australian media outlet National Tribune.

According to media reports, the e-cigarettes were busted by Perth regulators on a truck that was transported from New South Wales. After testing, the seized e-cigarette vapor contained highly addictive nicotine.
Under Australian law, it is illegal to manufacture, supply or possess products containing nicotine without a doctor’s prescription. A 22-year-old man from Perth is assisting the authorities with the investigation.

Health Minister Amber Judd Sanderson said, “This shipment is the largest bust in Western Australia to date. In previous compliance campaigns, Western Australia Health has busted more than 26,000 illegal e-cigarettes. There is no doubt that e-cigarettes pose a serious threat to the health of young people across Australia, which is one of the reasons why Western Australia has some of the strictest tobacco laws in the country. We have stepped up our statewide monitoring and compliance activities to enforce restrictions on the illegal sale of e-cigarettes. Anyone with information about the illegal supply of e-cigarettes is urged to contact the Crime Reporting Centre.”