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A Kalgoorlie barber shop is the first store in the state to be ordered to close under tough new laws aimed at cracking down on illegal tobacco and vapes came into effect.
The new legislation kicked in earlier this week, and has made it an offence for stores to sell, supply or possess illicit tobacco or vaping products. It has also given authorities such as WA police and the Department of Health the authority to shut down premises involved in illegal trade, and bumped up the penalties for those caught breaking the law.
The Kalgoorlie store was raided on the same day the laws kicked in, and police allege it resulted in the seizure of nearly 2000 illegal cigarettes and about three kilograms of loose tobacco.
Video shows officers enter the premises and immediately walk behind the counter to speak with a woman who appears to be serving customers. The walls are lined with product, and police usher her into a back room of the store before appearing to search the property and even go through garbage bins at the rear of the premises.
There is no sound on the video, and this masthead does not suggest any illegal activity by the woman featured in the footage.
A further six stores have also been issued with close orders following the roll-out of the new laws, including one store in Bunbury and five from the metropolitan area.
The raids have been conducted by WA Health’s Tobacco Compliance Unit, in partnership with WA police. In total, it is understood it has resulted in the seizure of nearly 142,000 illegal cigarettes, 5.2 kilograms of loose tobacco and more than 600 vapes.
Minister for Health Meredith Hammat said the first three days of the laws being enforced were telling about the scale of illegal tobacco and vapes in WA.
“WA Health’s Tobacco Compliance Unit is wasting no time using these tough new laws to keep our community safe,” she said.
“The results from the first 72 hours of these laws being in effect should serve as a serious warning to those dodgy operators still engaging in this dangerous trade.
“Closure orders are a game-changer in our fight against illegal tobacco, and our state and federal agencies will continue to work together to get it off our streets.”
The maximum penalty for possession of a large commercial quantity of illicit tobacco and vaping products is $4.2 million for an individual or $21 million for a company, and 15 years imprisonment.
Minister for Police Reece Whitby said the latest raids showed how Operation Maverick – a police taskforce aimed at disrupting organised criminal activity linked to the illicit tobacco and vape trade – was working.
“If anyone is ignoring our new laws, then let these first days of action be a message to you – if you’re selling or storing illicit tobacco in Western Australia, you will be caught and your store will be shut down through these new closure order powers.
“These new laws, designed to hit criminal operations hard, are already delivering results, seizing tobacco, cigarettes, and vapes while stopping stores from re-opening the next day.”
While the state government frequently refers to the new laws as “some of the toughest in the nation”, an Australian Council on Smoking and Health investigation recently found WA was fourth in the country over its handling of illegal tobacco.
In her agency’s report, chief executive Laura Hunter said recent changes to the Tobacco Products Control Act 2006 got the state some points on the board, but plenty more needed to be done.
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