$10 million worth of illegal vapes have been seized from a Perth warehouse.
Authorities have seized 15 tonnes of vapes from a warehouse in north-eastern Perth, in what is said to be the biggest bust of its kind in both the state and the nation.
Over 300,000 vapes, worth around $10 million in total, were discovered and seized.
This raid allegedly came after a tip-off, according to WA Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson.
Over 10 tonnes of illegal prescription drugs and ‘nangs’ (whipped cream chargers filled with nitrous oxide that are abused through inhalation) were also discovered, according to Health Department officials.
Ms Sanderson said the seizure was part of a larger crackdown on the sale of illegal vapes and the misuse of nitrous oxide.
“Nicotine is a highly addictive and dangerous poison, and we know vapes also contain many other toxic substances and are designed to appeal to young people,” Ms Sanderson said in a statement.
“Vapes and e-cigarettes can contain up to 200 toxic chemicals, including the same harmful chemicals found in cleaning products, nail polish remover, weed killer, bug spray and paint stripper.”
The WA government’s regulatory regime for vapes has been under attack after June statistics revealed that there was only one prosecution against a retailer for illegally selling nicotine vapes.
In WA, under the Medicines and Poisons Act 2014, the maximum penalty for selling illegal nicotine vapes is a $45,000 fine and three years imprisonment for an individual, or a $225,000 fine for a company.
Before the June figures were revealed, 43,000 illegal vapes were seized in WA and dozens of warnings were issued.
Back in May, the Health Department confessed that it had not issued a single fine for illegal vape possession.
Although the sale of nicotine vapes is limited to licensed individuals in WA, the devices and cartridges are widely available in stores in Perth and through underground online delivery services.
