Six Melbourne stores ordered to close in crackdown on illicit tobacco sales

Six stores across two Melbourne suburbs have been ordered to close since a crackdown began on the sale of illicit tobacco in Victoria.

New laws came into effect this week that allow police and Tobacco Licensing Victoria inspectors to close stores found to be selling illicit tobacco products.

The initial closures are for periods up to 90 days, with long-term closures able to be pursued through the courts for repeated breaches.

Tobacco Licensing Victoria said three stores in Footscray and three in Richmond were handed closure notices after inspections this week.

Tobacco Licensing Victoria chief operating officer Bree Oliver said the closures were the first of "many to come" across the state.

"Certainly there's lots to do," she told 774 ABC Melbourne.

"We'll be making sure that premises remain closed. Where stickers are disturbed, we'll be holding the people that disturb those stickers to account and there are penalties for that.

Tobacco Licensing Victoria has 40 inspectors operating across the state, while other agencies such as Victoria Police and Australian Border Force are also conducting inspections.

Ms Oliver said tips were coming in from members of the public about vendors selling illicit tobacco products, which were then being followed up by inspectors.

"Where we are aware that there is ongoing suspicion of illicit activity, we'll of course be taking further action, collecting further evidence and assessing whether an additional closure notice period is warranted," she said.

"We look at where there's the most need, where there's the most concentration and where there's harm to the community."

The Victorian Opposition yesterday pledged to "bolster laws, put more inspectors on the beat and close down retailers who break the law" if elected in November.

Shadow Minister for Liquor and Gaming Tim McCurdy said the government had lost control of the tobacco black market.

"Labor governments, state and federal, have been saying the same thing for years: they're taking this seriously, they're cracking down, they're closing the net," he said.

"Meanwhile, organised crime gangs are firebombing their way across our state almost daily, and nothing changes.

"That is not a crackdown, that is a government talking while criminals act. Labor has had years and countless opportunities to fix this, and the crisis has only gotten worse," Mr McCurdy said.

Tobacco Licensing Victoria will list closed businesses on its website from next week.