![Vapes seized at the border in Sydney with an estimated street value of $540,000. Picture supplied Vapes seized at the border in Sydney with an estimated street value of $540,000. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/b161f5cb-702b-45a6-94a9-fc6059b67b51.jpg/r0_94_620_443_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
More than two and a half tonnes of contraband disposable vapes will be destroyed after they were seized from an air cargo shipment.
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The boxes were marked as "small clothing items" by the sender but border force officers allegedly found 18,000 disposable vaping products in the March 15 search.
Australian Border Force (ABF) estimates the vapes have a street value of $540,000.
Investigations are continuing into the intended recipient of the delivery as well as the sender.
Importing these products to Australia has been prohibited since January 1, 2024, when a ban on disposable vapes was introduced.
On March 1, 2024, the ban extended to include the importation of non-therapeutic vapes.
ABF officers have seized about 350,000 disposable vapes at the border between January 1 and February 29.
"We are seeing individuals voluntarily surrender disposable vapes at the border. I encourage anyone travelling into Australia to use the surrender bins to dispose of any vapes prior to them being seized by our officers," ABF superintendent Asha Patwardhan said.
"In saying that, combatting vaping is a complex problem and one that is being fought across many fronts. This problem is more than just enforcement, it is a whole of societal issue - health, education, environmental."