Two Taylors Hill men and a Thornhill Park woman are among 12 people arrested by detectives as part of an investigation into the alleged extortion of tobacco stores linked to a Middle Eastern organised crime syndicate.
Fourteen warrants were executed on March 17 at residential addresses in Taylors Hill, Broadmeadows, Donnybrook, Wollert, Epping, Essendon, Lalor, Airport West, Thornhill Park, Meadow Heights and storage facilities in Roxburgh Park and Coolaroo.
Police subsequently arrested a dozen people, including two 19-year-olds from Taylors Hill and a 19-year-old Thornhill Park woman.
They were among eight people charged with extortion and bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on March 20.
Alongside the arrests, authorities from Taskforce Lunar also seized four firearms, explosives, knives, loose-leaf tobacco and vapes.
Taskforce Lunar Detective Inspector Graham Banks said police would continue to crackdown on organised crime.
“We will allege that those we’ve arrested today have been carrying out extortions on behalf of a serious and organised crime figure who resides offshore,” he said.
“Victoria Police has been crystal clear that we will target all of those involved at absolutely every level of this criminality — be it a syndicate leader, a facilitator or the foot soldiers carrying out the arson attacks and extortions.
“There is a total lack of care and respect for life and the community, and we will relentlessly keep working our way up until we get all the way to the top of these organised crime groups.”
Police will allege those involved have been attending tobacco stores and providing an international WhatsApp phone number and instructing store owners to call the number.
It is alleged that if the owner calls, a member of the syndicate instructs owners to pay a sum of money monthly or threatens to burn the store down.
Police said the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information on serious and organised crime linked to the illicit tobacco trade is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppers.com.au
