Chop-chop (tobacco)

The practice of using chop-chop emerged in evasion of heavy excise and taxation levies, sharply lowering the cost compared to legally marketed products.

Research suggests that contaminants are common and include twigs and pulp from raw cotton, hay, cabbage leaves, grass clippings and chloride products.

In one 2007 incident, a taxation officer inspecting a residence in Mareeba, Queensland noticed that the owner's bedroom floor sounded hollow and discovered a hydraulically operated steel trapdoor concealing an underground bunker that held hundreds of kilograms of chop-chop.

[8] Chop-chop can also find its way into the market via individuals or groups who purchase leaf directly from a tobacco grower, process it for sale and provide it to a range of retailers (such as tobacconists, market stallholders, hairdressers, newsagents and milk bars) for on-selling.

Chop-chop is usually sold in half or one kilogram lots, packed into clear plastic bags in loose leaf form.