By Karen Poh
ILLEGAL home-grown tobacco, or “chop-chop”, is being sold in Hobsons Bay for as little as $70 for half a kilogram.
A West Newport resident, who wished only to be known as “Joe”, said the unbranded tobacco was readily available from the Laverton Market, shops on Mason St and Hall St in Newport, and The Circle in Altona North.
“I’d say lots of people know about it,” Joe said.
“I used to buy cigarettes in bulk, and I just inquired if they sold other stuff and they said they do.
“It’s probably home grown, usually from Myrtleford, and it gets delivered here. That’s what we hear.
“People buy it because it’s a lot cheaper.
“For 50 cigarettes, you’d pay about $17 at Safeway. You could buy chop-chop for a third of the price.
“But I’d never smoke it, it’s so strong. And who knows what’s in it?
“Usually when it’s really good it’s really yellow and light and fluffy. But the stuff I’ve seen here is really dark. It’s like smoking a chemical, it’s shocking,” Joe said.
Tobacco growing, curing, processing, distribution and sales are highly regulated industries in Australia and producers of chop chop evade the regulations in order to avoid excise and taxation levies.
As such, chop chop is not produced under legal restrictions or health regulations.
Since July 2007, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has cracked down on 26 tobacco retailers across Melbourne and regional Victoria, seizing almost 100 kilograms of chop chop.
More than 7000 kilograms of chop chop was seized in the previous financial year, costing the Government an estimated $2.1 million in lost tax.
A spokeswoman from the ATO said the majority of tobacco seized comes from Vietnam, but approximately one third of chop chop is domestically produced.
In a separate investigation, four businesses in Newport and Altona North have also been busted for selling cigarettes to minors.
The latest round of test purchases were conducted last month by the Hobsons Bay City Council, which uncovered two illegal sales of cigarettes from 29 visits.
Both businesses were first time offenders.
The council’s acting director of business and finance Hamish Munro said the test sales were performed by volunteers aged 15 and 16, who were provided transport to each site and given money to buy cigarettes.
He said warning letters have been sent to the offenders, but infringement letters will only be issued if businesses are found guilty a second time according to Department of Human Services guidelines.
Businesses could face a fine of $200 for sales of cigarettes to underage customers.
Mr Munro said residents can report instances of underage tobacco sales to the council, and identified premises will be included in the next round of test purchasing.
