Australian authorities have intercepted and seized vaping products with a street value of $11 million from being imported into the country as part of a major campaign targeting international air mail.
Campaign Obelia, a joint operation between the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), this month seized 35 tonnes of the contraband suspected to contain nicotine from sites across four states.
Investigators allege that criminals tried to unlawfully import the products as prescription medicines.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, health minister Mark Butler and home affairs minister Clare O’Neil warned nicotine vapes that were not cleared by the TGA were a significant public health risk. Young people in particular were vulnerable to the harms, they said.
In May, the federal government announced new vape regulations with stronger legislation, enforcement, education and support.
The reforms aim to limit the unlawful trade in nicotine vaping products by requiring importers of any therapeutic vape to obtain a licence and permit.
“Vaping is a public health menace that is targeting young Australians,” Butler said.
“The reforms being introduced by the Albanese government will be pivotal to decreasing vaping rates in Australia and the harm it represents, especially to our young people.”
All vapes will now be regulated in Australia, and domestic advertising of vapes will be subject to greater advertising restrictions.
Further actions to reduce rates of tobacco and e-cigarette use under the National Tobacco Strategy 2023-2030 have received government backing, including $737 million to protect Australians against the harm caused by tobacco and vaping products.
“I applaud the TGA and the ABF for removing a huge number of vapes out of the Australian market and most importantly, out of the hands of young Australians,” Butler said.
“The enormous volume of suspected unlawful vaping products seized in this campaign alone demonstrates the challenges we face in tackling this issue — one we are tackling head-on.”
Testing of the intercepted vapes determined nicotine was in an estimated 376,000 products (92% of the 35 tonnes), at least 68% comprising disposable devices.
Authorities will now formally seize the unlawful goods on the basis that most of the products were falsely labelled nicotine-free.
The illegal importation or supply of counterfeit or unapproved therapeutic goods attracts a penalty of up to five years’ imprisonment and penalties of up to $1.25 million.
According to the government, the concealment of nicotine in vapes by manufacturers is a major challenge in enforcing importation and supply rules for nicotine vaping products.
O’Neil said nicotine vaping products were harmful to the community and vowed Labor would do everything possible to disrupt their importation.
“While the ABF will continue to work with the TGA and other agencies to stop vapes at the border, reducing the amount of vapes with nicotine in the community requires a multi-faceted approach across all levels of government, involving both enforcement and better education around the harmful impact of vaping,” the minister said.
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