Police running out of room to store illegal cigarettes they’ve seized amid Australia’s booming illicit trade

Inquiry into black market hears cost of destroying vapes has also soared, with some requiring manual dismantling

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Police are struggling to store a growing wave of illegal cigarettes and vapes seized from criminals, with secure facilities at capacity and the high cost of destroying illicit products becoming prohibitive.

The Australian federal police (AFP) has been spending as much as $13 a kilogram for vapes to be destroyed, with some companies requiring the cartridge, battery and heating element to be manually dismantled.