Rising Costs and the Surge of Illegal Cigarettes

In January, Katie Tangey was killed in a Melbourne house fire believed to be part of the ongoing “tobacco wars”. Police say she was an innocent victim and the arsonists got the wrong address.

The tobacco wars are driven by rival gangs fighting over a black market worth billions, and have been marked by firebombings, extortion and murder.

While headlines focus on the violence, skyrocketing government taxes on tobacco have long been fuelling the fire behind the scenes.

Today, associate editor for The Saturday Paper, Martin McKenzie-Murray, on how a public health initiative created the conditions for a deadly turf war.

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Guest: Associate editor for The Saturday Paper, Martin McKenzie-Murray.

Photo: AAP Image/Diego Fedele

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