SHUT DOWN: More than 1400 illicit tobacco closures as authorities wage war on Australia’s booming black market

Hundreds of shops are sitting shuttered across Australia as authorities wage an escalating war against a multibillion-dollar illegal tobacco trade fuelling organised crime, money laundering and deadly violence.

New figures obtained by The Nightly reveal at least 1436 closure orders, notices and reported shutdowns across five Australian states since November last year, with 348 orders still in force this week.

The crackdown has ensnared not just tobacconists but convenience stores, supermarkets, gift shops, newsagents and even barbers, revealing just how widespread the illegal trade has become.

NSW has recorded the largest number of closure orders, issuing 523 since new powers came into effect on November 3 last year, with 123 still in force as of October 30.

South Australia has issued 281 closure orders between November 3 last year and October 2 this year, including 279 short-term orders lasting 28 days and two 12-month orders.

Of those, 20 were still in force this week.

Victoria has issued 118 closure notices since September 9, when its new enforcement powers came into effect. All 118 were still in force as of October 27, according to the state’s public register.

Western Australia’s Department of Health confirmed 96 closures, while its public register listed 38 premises subject to closure orders as of November 3, including a storage unit.

The closures stretch from major-city shopping centres to small country towns.

In Queensland, authorities provided The Nightly with the names and addresses of all 49 premises currently subject to closure orders.

They include Freechoice Tobacconist at Toowoomba’s Grand Central Shopping Centre, EZMART Southport on the Gold Coast, Cairns One Tropical in far north Queensland and Kingaroy Mart in the South Burnett region

Other businesses on the list include Tobacco Shed in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, American Candy & Accessories in Mackay and Allora Convenience Store and Tobacconist in the Southern Downs.

Queensland Health said its laws had been instrumental in preventing millions of illegal smoking products from reaching the streets, while the department was also working to reduce demand by providing free support to smokers and vapers through Quitline.

And it’s not just tobacconists being shut down.

Western Australia’s public register lists three barbershops – Boss Barber in Wembley, Blessed Cutz in central Perth and Lux Barber Shop in Cockburn Central.

Other premises listed include Bassendean Convenience and Gift Store, Rockingham Convenience & Tobacconist, BP Market in Victoria Park and specialty store Freo’s Finest in Fremantle.

South Australia has refused to name its 20 currently closed businesses for “operational reasons”, but confirmed the orders cover premises from Port Adelaide and Campbelltown to Craigmore and Seaview Downs.

The Northern Territory’s Department of Trade, Business and Asian Relations confirmed it does not have the legislative powers to issue closure orders against retailers found with illicit tobacco or vaping products.

However, the department said it works with NT Police, NT Health and the Australian Border Force on compliance and enforcement.

Tasmania has not issued any closure orders since its new powers came into effect in July.

“Closure orders will be used where other enforcement activities have failed to result in any change in behaviour,” a Tasmanian Department of Health spokesperson said.

The department said it had carried out 545 routine inspections, 191 targeted enforcement actions and 866 compliance actions this financial year, and issued 123 infringement notices.

Tasmania’s Government has committed to publicly reporting the number of short-term closure orders issued each financial year.

But shutting down shops is only part of the battle against the criminal networks importing and distributing illicit tobacco across Australia.

In September, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett warned many of the gangs responsible for trafficking cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin were also involved in illicit tobacco importations.

Commissioner Barrett has previously said most of the illicit tobacco entering Australia was coordinated by a small number of highly sophisticated transnational criminal networks.

Those groups had entrenched criminal associates and violent enforcers both in Australia and overseas, she said.

Australian Border Force Commissioner Gavan Reynolds told Senate estimates last month his agency seized 2.2 billion illicit cigarettes, 590 tonnes of loose-leaf tobacco, 13 million vape devices and 7.2 million nicotine pouches during the 2025-26 financial year.

Investigators are also using information gathered during raids to track down the criminal networks supplying the shops.

In August, the Australian Border Force, AFP and their partners targeted 106 service stations across six jurisdictions.

The coordinated operation resulted in 11 temporary closures and identified 106 persons of interest.

Another investigation involving the Multi Agency Strike Team led to seven people being charged over two alleged criminal networks valued at $80 million.

Investigators froze more than $25 million in assets, including properties, bank accounts and interests in logistics companies.

In December, the AFP and NSW Police charged four men following an investigation into an alleged money-laundering syndicate accused of processing more than $150 million in criminal proceeds, with links to the large-scale importation and distribution of illicit tobacco.

An Border Force presentation released under freedom-of-information laws revealed criminal syndicates are using front companies, falsely declared cargo and concealed shipments to smuggle illegal tobacco into Australia.

There are signs the crackdown is driving customers back to legal cigarettes.

Data provided by major retailers to the Office of the Illicit Tobacco and E-cigarette Commissioner and released in October showed legal tobacco sales in Queensland jumped 55 per cent in the first month after stronger enforcement powers were introduced.

Sales remained between 40 and 45 per cent above previous levels for the following six months, while national legal tobacco sales were largely unchanged.

Calls to Quitline have more than doubled in the 10 days following major enforcement operations.

Assistant Customs Minister Julian Hill said the results demonstrated that sustained enforcement could disrupt illegal markets and drive customers back to legitimate retailers.

But the black market is adapting.

Authorities say some illicit tobacco sellers have continued operating despite closure orders, while others have moved to online sales, phone orders and home deliveries to avoid detection.

The NSW Government has warned that some illicit tobacco operators are using QR codes and social media to continue selling products despite being issued closure orders.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park argued last month that the high federal tobacco excise was fuelling demand for cheap illegal cigarettes, leaving authorities playing a game of “whack-a-mole” as businesses shut and re-emerge.

But University of Sydney public health professor Becky Freeman has rejected calls to slash tobacco excise, warning that making cigarettes more affordable would undermine efforts to reduce smoking.

“Driving down smoking rates by making cigarettes cheaper is just not going to happen,” she told NewsWire last month.

Meanwhile, violence linked to competition for the illicit market remains a serious concern, particularly in Victoria, where tobacco shops have repeatedly been targeted in arson attacks.

Hundreds of shops have been shut down, but the fight against Australia’s illegal tobacco trade is far from over.

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