25/06/2025
Five stores in Adelaide’s CBD have been shut down after being caught selling illicit tobacco and vapes under South Australia’s tough new laws.
Minister Michaels issued 28-day closure orders for Rundle East Convenience, Rundle City Convenience, The Ultimate Convenience (Rundle Street) and Grenfell City Convenience.
She has also issued a 3-day closure order for XL Convenience (Grenfell Street).
The stores were raided by members of Consumer and Business Services’ (CBS) illicit tobacco taskforce over the past week where officers seized illegal cigarettes, vapes and nicotine pouches.
These are the first stores to be subject to the longer short-term closure orders with reforms to South Australia’s illicit tobacco laws taking effect on 5 June.
The Minister now also has the power to seek closure orders of up to 12-months through a Magistrates Court application.
Any business who violates such an order can be hit with a penalty of up to $1.1 million and an individual up to $700,000.
Selling illicit tobacco and vapes poses a significant risk to community safety and South Australia has the toughest fines of any state or territory for supplying or possessing ‘commercial’ and ‘large commercial’ quantities with penalties of up to $6.6 million.
The Minister will also be contacting the landlords of the premises to inform them of the closures. Under our reforms, it is an offence to knowingly allow a premises to be used to sell illicit tobacco and vapes with penalties of up to $20,000 for an individual and $50,000 for a body corporate and we have empowered landlords to be able to terminate leases for shops subject to long term closure orders.
South Australia’s tough approach to illicit tobacco and vapes has been recognised as the best in the nation with the Australian Council on Smoking and Health giving our state an A+.
Since July 1, the Malinauskas Government’s illicit tobacco taskforce has conducted more than 500 inspections across the state and CBS and SAPOL have seized $34 million worth of illicit tobacco and vapes.
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