Victoria’s tobacco licensing scheme has been branded a farce, with no one criminally charged and accusations the agency has been ignoring requests for assistance from Victoria Police.

The state government promised a wide-ranging crackdown on the multi-billion dollar illicit tobacco black market would begin on February 1 with the deployment of 14 inspectors and a new licensing regime.

Illegal cigarettes seized by Australian Border Force. Penny Stephens

At the time, there were an estimated 8000 tobacco retailers in the state, including more than 1300 shops that were connected to the illicit tobacco trade run by serious and violent organised crime groups.

But three months in, less than half a shipping container’s worth of illegal cigarettes have been seized and Magistrates’ Court records show not a single prosecution has been launched.

”We are cracking down on illicit tobacco and helping to disrupt the organised crime gangs it finances,” a Tobacco Licensing Victoria spokesperson said.

“There have been 27…