Australia’s Tobacco Crisis | Auckland News

Auckland News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 7, 2026 · 2m

Australia’s legal tobacco market is collapsing as 80% of the market now runs illicit, fueled by extortion, violence, and plummeting tax revenue—once over $16 billion, now just $4 billion. Former Border Force chief Rohan Pike blames sky-high legal prices, arguing that anti-smoking policies have pushed smokers to black market cigarettes, nearly killing the legal industry. Small retailers are shuttering, and even nearby shops can’t get insurance amid firebombings. Pike warns New Zealand to avoid Australia’s fate. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s task force made its first major bust—seizing a million…