Press Releases

Remarks made by the Victorian Minister responsible for tobacco regulation, Enver Erdogan, that acknowledge the direct link between excessive federal tobacco excise and the alarming rise in illicit tobacco trade, firebombing, and organised crime, have been welcomed by the Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS). AACS CEO Theo Foukkare said Minister Erdogan’s remarks highlight the urgent action needed from the Albanese Government to adopt a national approach to tackling illicit tobacco and excessive taxation – rather than policies that inadvertently strengthen criminal enterprises, which is currently the case. “Minister Erdogan’s comments underscore what AACS has long argued: sky-high tobacco taxes have fuelled a dangerous underground market that’s putting legitimate retailers at risk and given more dangerous power to criminal networks,” Mr Foukkare said. “Minister Erdogan’s was spot on when he said “It’s clearly led to the creation of this illegal market. Tobacco is an addiction, and the illegal product is…

The Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) has welcomed the Queensland Government’s proposed laws announced to further tackle the illegal tobacco and vape trade in the state. AACS CEO Theo Foukkare said that the Crisafulli Government have been very open in listening to all feedback provided by legitimate retailers and that it was great to see law makers aren’t waiting for the issue to continue to spiral further out of control. “QLD Health Minister Tim Nicholls has listened, acted swiftly and continues to show strong leadership on tackling this national crisis which continues to impact responsible retailers and jeopardise the safety of communities right across the country,” Mr Foukkare said. “The proposed laws to extend the interim closure orders from three days to three months will further help put an end to the dodgy operators who get raided, have their illegal stock confiscated and are up and trading again in…

Responsible retailers have called on the Queensland Government and health authorities to go even harder on penalties for criminals caught trading in illicit tobacco and vapes, following the state’s record breaking bust that saw $19 million of illegal cigarettes, tonnes of loose leaf or “chop-chop” tobacco and tens of thousands of dangerous vapes taken off the streets, in a major win for community safety. Australia’s biggest bust of its kind was conducted by Queensland Health’s Operation Appaloosa and would send a huge warning to crime groups running the illicit tobacco and vape black market, Australian Association of Convenience Store Association (AACS) CEO Theo Foukkare said. “This is the biggest bust of its kind in Australia and AACS members want to congratulate the Queensland State Government and the Health department on getting this dangerous crap off of our streets and away from the state’s communities, especially kids,” Mr Foukkare said. “QLD…

Fed up and frustrated retailers have called on Federal Labor to quit playing politics over dangerous, illicitvapes that are putting kids lives at risk – and match the Coalition’s policy to strictly regulate the manufacture, sale and purchase of government mandated vaping products, in the same way as tobacco and alcohol are managed. Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) CEO Theo Foukkare said the Albanese Government’sfailed ban on vapes had handed crime groups a free pass to import and sell dodgy, dangerous and potentially life threatening vapes that are made in shonky Chinese warehouses and deliberately aimed at being sold to kids. “AACS supports the coalition plan that was announced almost one year ago to regulate vaping products the same way alcohol and tobacco are managed – which will mean we’ll all know what’s in them and can control how they’re manufactured and who they are sold to,” Mr Foukkare…

Retailers living and working in fear of Australia’s out-of-control tobacco wars have called on the Federal Labor Party to urgently show bipartisan support for the Coalition’s national crime policy, as the nation’s deadly illicit tobacco wars worsen. AACS CEO Theo Foukkare said reports of up to more than 3000 illegal stores, which blatantly sell illicit products in shopping strips throughout Australia, show the crime crisis is more prevalent than ever. “We are aware of about 3000 of these dodgy stores operating in plain sight across Australia and that’s after countless claims by the Albanese Government that it has a handle on this – when it clearly does not, it is worse than ever” Mr Foukkare said. The illegal nicotine market is now worth more than $7 billion per annum & growing. “Local and state governments are trying their best to combat this problem – but the reality is it is…

The Australian Government’s latest plan to crack down on illegal tobacco does not go far enough, falls well-short of the funding needed to address the crisis and will target the wrong people, the Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) has warned. AACS represents more than 70,000 Australian workers who have been subject to years of intensifying intimidation, threats of firebombing and violent attacks, as international and domestic crime groups go to war over control of Australia’s multibillion dollar black tobacco market. “We have seen crackdown after crackdown and funding announcement after funding announcement from consecutive governments about illegal tobacco, and none has worked,” AACS CEO Theo Foukkare said. “Today’s day is no different – it treats the symptom of the illegal tobacco wars, not the cause – and the $156 million fund to try and stop the crisis once and for all is a just a drop in the ocean…