Tobacco retailers in the Riverina and Illawarra issued 90-day bans for illegal sales
Ten businesses, similar to this one, were closed this week as part of a state government crackdown on illegal tobacco sales. (ABC Riverina: Jess Scully)
In short:
Ten businesses were issued 90-day trading bans across the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and Riverina this week.
Hundreds of thousands of cigarettes, thousands of vapes, and 17 kilograms of illicit tobacco products were seized in the crackdown.
What's next?
Business owners will have to reapply for a licence to sell tobacco at the completion of the closure period, and not trade or enter the business during the closure.
Ten illegal tobacco stores have been closed this week under new state government laws prohibiting the sale of illegal tobacco in New South Wales.
NSW Health inspectors, with support from NSW Police, raided 10 South Coast and Riverina premises this week and seized 349,000 illicit cigarettes, 4,600 illegal vapes and close to 17 kilograms of other illicit tobacco products.
The businesses were issued 90-day shutdown orders by the Chief Health Inspector as part of new legislation that came into effect on November 3.
This store was among the 10 businesses issued a closure notice. (Supplied: Ann Clifford )
In a statement, NSW Health said investigations are ongoing and further enforcement action, including prosecution, may take place.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said he is pleased with how the new laws are working.
"They've only just started to come into place, and we've probably shut down just under 30 premises across NSW," he said.
"We've got a lot more to do.
"Some had not been licensed, and therefore they were selling the product without a licence, but the product they were selling was also illegal, so it was a combination," he said.
Shopfronts were plastered with yellow closure orders this week. (ABC Riverina: Jess Scully )
The businesses have been affixed with yellow A4-stickers, and display the type of breach, duration of the closure and the terms of the closure order.
Businesses may not be entered for 90 days, and penalties of up to $82,500 for a first offence and $137,500 for a second offence apply.
Mr Park said businesses may trade again at the end of the closure, but they will have to reapply for their tobacco licence.
"You could imagine there'd be a degree of suspicion and caution reissuing to a premises who has just been shut down," he said.
"That's not to say it's impossible."
He said the businesses selling tobacco legally are at a huge disadvantage compared to these illegal operators.
"[They] pay excess duty and taxation on those products for these to be sold at sometimes 6 to 8 times less than what they are in the legal businesses," the health minister said.
He said the new laws are about "sending a clear message that time is up" for businesses selling illegal tobacco.
"We've spent probably the last 60 or 70 years decreasing the smoking rate here in NSW.
"We don't want to see our next generation hooked on nicotine,"he said.
The minister also said he and Premier Chris Minns had approached the federal government with concerns about the high tax on tobacco products, leading to a problem with illegal trade.