Illicit cigarettes undercut excise by half as enforcement nets $2 million haul

An RNZ investigation found illicit cigarettes selling for $13 per packet in Auckland—less than half the excise tax component alone. The government's Action Group seized 1.3 million cigarettes worth $2 million in evaded excise in its first combined operation, arresting five people. Importing cigarettes without duty or selling illicit product carries fines up to $20,000 and prison time.