Detectives from Taskforce Lunar have this morning arrested 12 people and seized four firearms, explosives, knives, looseleaf tobacco and vapes as part of their investigation into alleged extortions of tobacco stores linked to a Middle Eastern organised crime syndicate.
Fourteen warrants were executed from 6am this morning at residential addresses in Broadmeadows, Donnybrook, Wollert, Epping, Essendon (2), Lalor, Taylors Hill (2), Airport West, Thornhill Park, Meadow Heights and storage facilities in Roxburgh Park and Coolaroo.
Police subsequently arrested 12 people, including eight people who were charged with extortion and bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on 20 March:
• A 26-year-old Donnybrook man, believed to be a patched member of the Mongols OMCG,
• An 18-year-old Wollert man
• A 21-year-old Epping man
• A 19-year-old Taylors Hill man
• A 19-year-old Taylors Hill man
• A 19-year-old Airport West man
• A 16-year-old boy from the northern suburbs, and
• A 19-year-old Thornhill Park woman
Two men who were charged with extortion and will appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court today:
• An 18-year-old Essendon man, and
• A 19-year-old Meadow Heights man
A further two men who were arrested for unrelated offending but present during the warrants:
• A 41-year-old Broadmeadows man who was arrested for outstanding warrants. He was remanded to appear at court at a later date, and
• A 22-year-old Brookfield man who was charged with drug and weapons offences. He was bailed to appear at Sunshine Magistrates' Court on 23 June.
Investigators seized four firearms - two high powered firearms, one handgun and one shotgun, explosives, three vehicles, handwritten extortion notes, knives, GPS trackers, a significant quantity of cash and approximately 10kg of looseleaf tobacco and approximately 6000 vapes from the addresses.
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.
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.
If someone other than the owner calls the number, stores have previously been burnt down on multiple occasions.
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
Quotes attributable to Detective Inspector Graham Banks, Taskforce Lunar:
"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.
"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."
