Almost 150 vapes and approximately $4000 in cash were seized by police early on Wednesday morning following a traffic stop in Casey.
While on patrol about 2am, Gungahlin general duties officers conducted a traffic stop on a silver Mitsubishi Magna with two men on board.
The two occupants and the vehicle were searched and the illegal vapes seized, together with the cash and a small quantity of cannabis.
The occupants of the car, one man aged 20 and another two 24, were released from custody and will be issued with court attendance notices.
Recent federal legislation restricted the sale and variety of vaping products to those only issued by pharmacists under prescription, with the need for a prescription to end on October 1.
However, the new legislation has generated a significant black market demand.
Former federal police officer Rohan Pike, who led the Border Force tobacco strike force, recently told an inquiry that this new strategy was likely to increase prices and drive young vapers to the black market.
Organised crime has responded accordingly.
In late May this year, Border Force recorded the largest three-day "at border" detection of illegal vapes since new legislation was introduced at the beginning of 2024.
Around 742,000 vapes, concealed within separate sea cargo consignments out of Asian ports, were seized in all, with a total street value of $12.47 million.
Border Force acting Commander Asha Patwardhan said the frequency and significant quantities of vaping products now being intercepted demonstrated how importers are continuing to have a blatant disregard for the new legislation.
