Inside the Aussie tobacco wars: Rohan Pike Pt. 1

Inside the Aussie tobacco wars: Rohan Pike Pt. 1

From I Catch Killers with Gary Jubelin by News.com.au

May 16, 2026 · 58 min · Season 4 · Episode 391

About this episode

Rohan Pike discusses the impact of skyrocketing tobacco excises on organised crime and the illicit tobacco market in Australia.

A decade ago, Australian Border Force Tobacco Strike Team leader Rohan Pike issued a stark warning: skyrocketing tobacco excises would unleash organised crime and fuel a dangerous illicit market. Today, his prediction has become reality - firebombings terrorise suburban streets, borders are breached daily, and innocent people are being murdered as a result of the multi-billion-dollar black market. In this episode of I Catch Killers, Rohan takes us inside Australia's self-inflicted tobacco wars, revealing how violent crime syndicates smuggle millions of illicit tobacco products into the country every day, why current enforcement strategies are failing, and what it will take to stop this rapidly escalating crisis before more lives are lost. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Gary Jubelin

Guest: Rohan Pike

Topics covered

  • tobacco excise
  • organised crime
  • illicit market
  • violent crime syndicates
  • enforcement strategies
  • black market

Keywords

  • tobacco excise
  • organised crime
  • illicit tobacco
  • black market
  • crime syndicates
  • enforcement strategies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Australian Border Force

Places: Australia, suburban streets

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