Drug dealers are already making serious money selling e-cigarettes. A crackdown on imports could bolster their bottom line.
It’s approaching 6PM and the sun has just set on another weekday in Sydney’s inner west. A black car pulls into a quiet suburban street and parks at the roadside. Minutes later, a girl in her late teens appears. She walks to the car and waits as the window rolls down.
“That’s just 25,” says the driver, placing a small box in her hand while accepting her money. And with that, another illegal nicotine vape is sold in Sydney.
Until recently, the driver – an 18-year-old, part-time drug dealer – would have been selling marijuana from the front seat of his car. It was earlier this year that he decided to pivot to e-cigarettes instead. His name has been changed for his protection.
“I started seeing a lot of people selling vapes and I thought to look into it. Then I realised that the profits are almost double,” James told VICE World News.
Charles McLean – Vice – 2021-10-01.
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