From Three Days to Three Months: How Queensland Shut Down the Illegal Vape Trade
The problem had festered for a decade. During what was described as a time of “decline” and a “soft-on-crime approach,” rogue traders, often backed by organized crime, had set up shop across Queensland communities, putting hard-won progress in tobacco control at risk. Hundreds of these illegal stores had opened, often selling dangerous goods to children.
But a new mandate had arrived. Following the election when Queenslanders voted for a fresh start, the Crisafulli Government passed nation-leading laws strengthened to crack down on this illicit trade. The Tobacco and Other Smoking Products (Dismantling Illegal Trade) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 was passed in Parliament overnight, intensifying the state’s crackdown.
The team at Queensland Health now held unprecedented authority. Senior Enforcement Officer Elara felt the weight of these new powers. Her department was no longer restricted to short, frustrating three-day closures; they could now shut down illegal businesses for three months without going through lengthy court processes.
Their first target under the new regime was a notorious premises known only as ‘The Vapor Hut,’ a store that had operated brazenly for months. Elara’s team used a power newly granted to enforcement officers: undercover operations. Posing as a customer, Officer Chen confirmed that the store was peddling illicit vapes and tobacco.
The raid was swift and comprehensive. Before, they could only seize the obvious contraband. Now, the laws expanded Queensland Health’s power to seize all lawful smoking products found at illegal stores that were ‘tainted’ by being supplied or stored alongside the illicit goods. They swept up countless illegal vapes, but also seized stock of legitimate confectionary, food, and even nitrous oxide bulbs and canisters, commonly known as ‘nangs’. This was part of the plan to seize “more stock than ever before”.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls emphasized that these strengthened laws delivered on the Crisafulli Government’s commitment to stamping out criminal trade and keeping tobacco out of children’s hands. Their hardline approach had already proved successful since the election, with seizures totaling more than 57 million illicit cigarettes, 7.7 tonnes of loose tobacco, 475,000 illicit vapes, and 405,000 nicotine pouches.
But the crackdown didn’t stop at the rogue traders; it targeted those who enabled them: the landlords.
After the closure notice was posted on The Vapor Hut—a closure lasting three months—Elara’s team notified Mr. Evans, the commercial landlord. Mr. Evans had long claimed ignorance, but the new legislation closed that loophole. The laws created a criminal offence for commercial landlords to knowingly permit illegal tobacco or activity. The penalty was steep: a maximum fine of $166,900 and 12 months in jail.
Suddenly motivated, Mr. Evans, now empowered and incentivized by the threat of prosecution, acted swiftly. The new laws empowered landlords to terminate leases when notified their tenant was an illegal operator. As Minister Nicholls had stated, the laws “empower landlords to boot out their dodgy tenants caught peddling these illegal products”. Mr. Evans began the process to terminate the lease immediately, ensuring the three-month shutdown would become permanent.
With the new laws—which other states and territories were starting to mirror—the Crisafulli Government was delivering a fresh start, making Queensland safer, and continuing its nation-leading crackdown on criminal gangs. The long-term safety of the community was being restored, one seized haul and one three-month lock at a time.
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