Episode Details

Australia’s government is launching a fierce new crackdown on illegal tobacco, introducing tough new laws to shut down the booming black market that feeds up to 80% of the nation’s cigarette consumption. With legal tobacco prices among the highest in the world, criminals have turned this into a lucrative, low-risk trade — exploiting loopholes with sophisticated smuggling tactics. The crackdown targets every link in the supply chain: stricter import rules, harsher penalties, new licensing for storage facilities, and investigations into unexplained wealth tied to the trade. While some politicians push for tax cuts on legal tobacco to make it more competitive, the government insists stopping the flow is key — not lowering prices. These sweeping reforms, set for parliamentary return later this year, aim to empower agencies like Border Force to intercept shipments and turn the illicit trade into a high-stakes gamble for criminals.

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