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Six Melbourne men have been arrested in connection with a plot to import 10 million black market cigarettes into Australia, police allege.
Some of the men are allegedly linked to an alleged Middle Eastern crime family, while others work in “trusted positions” at shipping and cargo logistics companies, police said Wednesday.
The $15 million illegal tobacco bust is the result of a 16-month investigation by Victoria’s Joint Organized Crime Task Force, which includes officers from Victoria Police, the Australian Federal Police and the Australian border.
The union cracked after the ABF allegedly intercepted cigarettes on a cargo ship traveling to Victoria from Vietnam on February 3.
Search warrants were then carried out at several businesses and homes in Melbourne’s western suburbs on Tuesday.
Six men arrested for alleged illicit tobacco import syndicate
Joint police task force seizes 10 million cigarettes in shipment from Vietnam
Two of those arrested allegedly had access to shipping and transportation records.
A Point Cook man, 45, is the alleged facilitator of the syndicate who used inside information in the logistics business to try to avoid detection of the cigarettes and subsequent Commonwealth taxes.
A 35-year-old Fraser Rise man is accused of using his position at a company to covertly locate and move a shipment he believed contained illicit tobacco once it arrived in the country.
Both have been charged with conspiracy to import tobacco products with intent to defraud revenue.
Three members of the group – a Truganina man, 35, an Altona Meadows man, 31 and a Craigieburn man, 35 – will be alleged to have been involved in the importation and distribution of illicit tobacco throughout Victoria.
They have been charged with the crime of aiding, abetting, advising or facilitating the importation of tobacco products with the intention of defrauding tax revenues.
Among those arrested were men who allegedly worked for transport companies.
Cigarettes are worth about $15 million on the street.
The six men will appear in court on Wednesday charged with the alleged importation scheme
A 40-year-old Tarneit man has been charged with alleged proceeds of criminal offenses and failing to comply with a court order.
He has been charged with dealing with the proceeds of crime: money or property worth $50,000 or more.
Victoria Police Crime Command Commander Paul O’Halloran said the arrests and seizures highlighted the collaborative effort to target organized crime syndicates involved in illicit tobacco.
“It has become a major driver of organized crime groups, especially here in Victoria, and we have seen a number of serious and violent crimes due to disputes between these groups as they fight for a growing share of the profit market,” said Commander O’ Said Halloran.
‘In particular, the last 12 months have resulted in a large number of deliberate and reckless arson attacks on a number of businesses, particularly tobacco retailers. “We have been very clear about the risk this presents to the wider community.”
The six men will appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday.