Violent gangs selling illicit nicotine vapes, threatening and intimidating ... trends now
Illicit vape dealers are allegedly intimidating small shop owners into selling them their businesses - and threatening violence if they do not comply.
The tactic - believed to be used by groups with links to organised crime - offers them a legitimate shopfront to sell their nicotine-filled vapes, which are often illegally imported from China.
One cigarette-shop owner even told Daily Mail Australia that her car tyres had been let down and her wheel nuts removed after she challenged one of the alleged gangs.
The shop owner, who asked to remain anonymous amid fears for her safety, said the situation was 'completely out of control'.
'I took my car in for a service earlier this year and my mechanic said to me “somebody must really hate you – you have five wheel nuts missing off your car",' she said.
'I have a late model BMW which gets serviced on a regular basis because I drive lots of miles. There’s no way in the world those wheel nuts came off by themselves.'
The shop owner (pictured) - who asked to remain anonymous - alleges that gangs in the illicit vape trade have removed the wheel nuts on her car after she resisted their demand to sell her store to them
The woman, who owns ten tobacconists across Queensland and employs around 50 people, said there had been a five-fold increase in the number of illicit vape shops operating in the area.
'In January this guy came into one of our shops and stood over the girl behind the counter, telling her to go and tell her boss - me - that if I didn’t sell him the shop, he would run me out of town,' she said.
'He said he had started up in other towns and driven other shops out of business. He said they don’t survive and he ends up buying the shop anyway.'
The shop owner, who is in her 60s, said she had contacted the police but was told they could do nothing.
'I asked a detective superintendent how can I protect myself and he said "we can’t do anything until they hurt you",' she said.
‘The health inspectors don’t even go into those shops – they are scared of them.'
An estimated 90 million vapes have been imported into Australia in the last year alone - with most coming from China
She added: 'I've heard of another guy who complained [about the intimidation] who was rung up and told "if you don’t shut your mouth I’ve got a bullet for you".'
Currently, the only way to buy vapes legally is through a prescription from your doctor.
However, convenience stores across the country are making a fortune selling unregulated vapes filled with nicotine but not labelled that they have the highly addictive liquid in them.
Importers often do not disclose their nicotine content to get them past inspectors - with an estimated 90 million vapes being imported illegally into Australia in the past year.
Often, these are bought by children, with schools and parents asking for stronger regulation to combat the surge in vaping.
The shop owner (pictured, right) said she has asked the police for help but was told: 'we can’t do anything until they hurt you'
Last month, the Queensland shop owner was driving her sick husband to a hospital appointment when she noticed her tyre pressure warning gauge was on.
'Six weeks prior to that I had new tyres put on my car,' she said.
'We called into the service station and all of them were half-flat.'
The next day, her tyres were let down again - an act of intimidation she firmly blames on the gangs.
Her adult son was also recently followed and watched by a group of angry-looking men after he helped out at one of her stores.
'I'm now very aware of my surroundings all the time,' she added.
'These guys just want to intimidate people and they believe they are above the law.
'A shop will be raided and within five hours they will be trading again. They are making millions of dollars – it’s all about money. It’s just beyond belief this is happening in Australia.'
The woman wrote to Health
