Six people connected to a Melbourne crime syndicate believed to be involved in a destructive gang war have been busted over a $15 million illegal tobacco import.
The 10 million cigarettes were intercepted at a Victorian dock on February 3 on a cargo ship from Vietnam after authorities busted a crime syndicate working with corrupted insiders.
Several of the men arrested on Tuesday have links to a Melbourne-based Middle Eastern organised crime syndicate, which police say was suspected of being responsible for a series of illegal tobacco imports.
Zehar Saoud, 35, from Truganina, Kane Kovanovic, 31, from Altona Meadows and 35-year-old Craigieburn man Rony Mallouk are alleged to be involved in importing and distributing illicit tobacco throughout the state.
Batuwatte Gamage Gihan Sandaruwan De Silva, 45, from Point Cook and Mark Benjamin Sepe, 35, from Fraser Rise are accused of being "corrupt trusted insiders" working in freight and logistics companies.
Both have been charged with conspiracy to import tobacco products with the intention of defrauding the revenue.
De Silva is alleged to have planned and facilitated the illicit tobacco import using insider knowledge of the logistics industry to access to internal shipping systems and tried to manipulate data related to the illicit import in order to evade detection.
Sepe is accused of using his position in the freight companies to covertly collect and move the freight box believed to have contained the millions of cigarettes once it arrived in Australia.
Tarneit man Hansem Zahra, 40, faces up to 15 years imprisonment after being accused of dealing with the proceeds of crime and failing to comply with a court order while on bail for an unrelated offence.
Police searched businesses and homes in Melbourne's west on Tuesday, seizing mobile phones and laptops, more than $50,000 cash and significant quantities of tobacco and vapes.
The six men fronted the Melbourne's Magistrate Court on Tuesday and could face up to 10 years imprisonment for the alleged importation and large fines.
The seizure marks a "significant" step in disrupting the illicit tobacco crime war in Melbourne, which has resulted in dozens of arson attacks on tobacco stores and function centres, Victoria Police Commander Paul O'Halloran said.
"The material comes into the country and ends up in these shops throughout Victoria," Mr O'Halloran said.
"There's turf wars, extortions and feuds between groups.
"Take away the product, that minimises the incentive to commit those types of offences."
The bust dismantled an alleged criminal syndicate which was a major player in the tobacco feud and thwarted an attempt to rob taxpayers of $15 million in federal taxes, police say.
Federal police acting assistant commissioner Raegan Stewart said the intercept lifted the lid on trusted insiders used by crime syndicates.
"We have a high-profit margin on all illicit substances in Australia so therefore, we are attractive to criminal syndicates," Ms Stewart said.
Border authorities detected more than 120,000 illicit tobacco products in the 2022/23 financial year, amounting to 1.67 billion cigarettes and 867 tonnes of loose tobacco with an estimated value of almost $3.5 billion, Border Force Assistant Commissioner Erin Dale said.
