Bottle shops awash with illicit booze as police probe arson attacks
Researchers at the National Drug Research Institute found that 30% of bottle shops audited in Melbourne and regional Victoria were selling illicit alcohol, raising public health and tax evasion concerns. The Australian Tax Office estimates $767 million in lost alcohol duties due to a growing 'shadow economy' in illegal alcohol. Victoria Police are investigating potential links between this illicit trade and recent arson attacks on hospitality venues and an alcohol distribution centre.
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Victorian bottle shops awash with illicit alcohol, researchers findBBy Bridget McArthurTopic:Alcohol18m ago18 minutes agoThu 30 Apr 2026 at 7:16amExperts say illicit alcohol poses a range of public health risks. (ABC News: Amelia Searson, file)In short:The National Drug Research Institute found 30 out of 100 bottle shops it audited across different areas of Melbourne and regional Victoria were stocking illicit alcohol.Hundreds of millions of dollars in alcohol duties are lost because of the proliferation of a "shadow economy" in illicit alcohol, the Australian Tax Office has said.What's next?Victoria Police is probing whether a spate of attacks on Melbourne hospitality venues and an alcohol distribution centre are linked to illicit…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at ABC News (Australia).