Victoria’s black market vape industry worth up to $500m

Victoria’s black market for vapes has been valued at up to $500 million, prompting warnings the proceeds must be kept out of the hands of organised crime as the state grapples with a gangland war for control of the sale of illegally imported cigarettes. The importation and sale of illegal tobacco in Victoria has been linked to dozens of firebombings, and a new analysis from the state’s Parliamentary Budget Office has sparked fears the closely associated e-cigarette industry could become another lucrative black market.