Police believe they've made a breakthrough in the ongoing 'tobacco wars', after arresting men that they've described as "trusted insiders" of organised crime groups.
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00:00 Captured before they reached the streets.
00:04 Authorities say these illegal cigarettes are fuelling Victoria's ongoing tobacco war.
00:09 There's turf wars, there's extortions, there's feuds between groups.
00:13 Take away the product that minimises that incentive to commit those types of offences.
00:19 This batch was intercepted earlier this month.
00:22 Police say they found 10 million cigarettes in a shipment from Vietnam worth about $15
00:27 million.
00:28 Inside this warehouse is what police say are tens of millions of illegally imported cigarettes.
00:34 These cigarettes will now be destroyed, but Border Force expects there'll be other consignments
00:38 just like this turning up in the near future.
00:42 Last financial year we had more than 120,000 detection of illicit tobacco at the border.
00:49 Yesterday investigators swooped, arresting six men.
00:52 They believe this bust is important because some of those involved work in the freight
00:57 and transport industry and allegedly use their business connections to sneak illegal goods
01:02 into the country and avoid paying millions in Commonwealth taxes.
01:06 The illicit tobacco funds and recruits people and corrupts people in these trusted positions.
01:14 One man arrested is from the Hadara family, which is allegedly involved in a turf war
01:19 with another syndicate over the sale of illegal tobacco.
01:22 That feud has played out in public, leading to dozens of fire bombings of tobacco shops
01:28 and businesses over the past year and a half.
01:31 Just last night this shop went up in flames in Ballarat, the fourth attack in the regional
01:35 city this month.
01:38 Victoria Police's Lunar Task Force is investigating as they try to put the brakes on an underworld
01:43 war that's spreading across Victoria.
01:45 [BLANK_AUDIO]