Australian Authorities Seize 15 Tons of Illegal Vapes
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The WA Health Department in Australia has seized 15 tons of vapes from a warehouse in Perth’s north-east in what it says is the biggest-ever bust of its kind in the state and nation.
Authorities say more than 300,000 vapes worth an estimated $10 million were discovered.
WA Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the raid came after a tip-off, according to ABC.
Health Department officers also found more than 10 tons of illegal prescription drugs and “nangs”, which are whipped cream chargers filled with nitrous oxide that are abused by being inhaled.
The maximum penalty in WA for selling nicotine vapes under the Medicines and Poisons Act 2014 is a $45,000 fine and a three-year prison term for an individual, or a $225,000 fine for a company.
The Australian government in May announced that it would ban the importation of all nonprescription vaping products – including those that do not contain nicotine.
The legislation is being billed as containing the most significant tobacco and vaping control measures in the country in a decade.