The tobacco black market seems to be gaining in popularity as thieves continue to target the pricey commodity at service stations and convenience stores.
Last week, the Mobil service station in Hillside Rd was held up by three masked men armed with a sword and a firearm.
Cigarettes, tobacco and money were the target.
Police have not yet apprehended the offenders.
The same outlet was robbed in May last year and once again tobacco was the primary target.
The owner of Dunedin's four Mobil stations, Robyn O'Callaghan, said the ever-increasing price of cigarettes and tobacco was one of the main issues.
"I'm sure it's [price] got a lot to do with it,'' she said.
She did not want to comment on whether she was considering removing cigarettes and tobacco from her stations.
A decision was also being made on whether the 24-hour Hillside Rd station would use an after-hours drawer instead of allowing customers inside.
The Mornington Night 'n Day was the subject of an armed hold-up for cigarettes in May 2014, while the Shiel Hill Foodcentre was hit in the same month.
In the second incident, 27 packets of tobacco were taken, with an over-the-counter value of $1286.
The owner of a Mornington service station, targeted by thieves for cigarettes and tobacco in the past, and the owner of the Mornington Night 'n Day, declined to comment.
Dunedin is not the only place where tobacco theft is a problem.
Invercargill had two high-profile cigarette thefts in 2014.
In November, the Elles Rd Night 'n Day was robbed and a month later the Gladstone Night 'n Day in Dee St was robbed twice, once with the use of a machete and then a pistol.
In all three cases cigarettes and tobacco were the target.
In April this year, the Warrington Liquor Centre in Christchurch was held up at knife-point and a large amount of alcohol and cigarettes were stolen.
Area prevention manager Inspector Kelvin Lloyd, of Dunedin, said there had been no "appreciable increase'' in the number of burglaries in the Otago Coastal area where cigarettes were the primary target.
"Tobacco has always been a desirable commodity for burglars to target and retailers have unfortunately been the victims of this,'' Insp Lloyd said in an email response.
"We are always willing to provide advice around security to these retailers and act in a proactive way to prevent these type of offences.''
Thieves needed someone to sell the stolen items to and police were warning people of the dangers and implications of buying cheap cigarettes and tobacco.
"We ... would ask anyone that is offered cheap tobacco products to contact police,'' Insp Lloyd said.
Police did not categorise burglaries in relation to what was stolen so could not provide statistics when requested by the Otago Daily Times yesterday.
The latest Budget, released by Finance Minster Bill English on May 26, indicated the cost of a packet of 20 cigarettes would rise to about $30 over the next four years - a 10% a year tax rise.
