A crime scene was established at Ettalong Beach on Friday, August 9, after a tobacco shop in Memorial Ave was gutted by fire in the small hours of the morning.
The fire followed a ramraid of the same premises just two days earlier, with residents concerned the incident could lead to a “turf war” in the seaside town, which is home to four tobacco shops.
Peninsula Chamber of Commerce President Matthew Wales said there were concerns around illegal tobacco and vape sales at some of the premises.
Police said emergency were called to a suspicious fire at around 1.35am on August 9.
Fire & Rescue NSW extinguished the blaze, with no other properties damaged.
Officers from Brisbane Water Police District established a crime scene and commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
They would like to speak to two men who were seen entering the property, one carrying a jerry can, before running from the scene.
The fire follows a break an enter at the same property earlier in the week, during which the front windows of the shop were broken.
As inquiries continue, anyone with information about the incidents is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch said the incident was “extremely concerning” and urged anyone with knowledge of the attacks to contact police.
“The NSW Government takes reports of illegal tobacco and e-cigarettes extremely seriously with NSW Police and NSW Health working alongside their federal counterparts to target illegal tobacco and e-cigarettes,” she said.
“In the 2023-24 budget alone, $25M was invested in tobacco and e-cigarette control measures.
“The NSW Government remains committed to reducing the supply of illegal tobacco with enforcement and seizures undertaken on a regular basis.
“In 2023, NSW Health Inspectors conducted over 3,000 inspections seizing $13.7M worth of nicotine vapes and e-liquids, and more than 4.8 million cigarettes and 1,700 kilograms of other illegal tobacco.”
Tesch said NSW Health was working with the Federal Therapeutic Goods Administration to train tobacco inspectors, to ensure they’re fully equipped to enforce the new federal laws.
“I encourage anyone who has knowledge that a retailer has broken a tobacco or e-cigarette law to make a report to NSW Health at 1300 066 055 or online,” she said.