Overview

• Search warrants at two Dallas homes and an Epping business recovered about $1.9 million in illicit tobacco, $80,000 in cash and six high-end watches, with assistance from the Australian Border Force.
• Detectives separately intercepted a truck in Laverton North carrying more than 4 million cigarettes valued at roughly $5 million, then seized $100,000 from the alleged driver’s Campbellfield home.
• A 40-year-old Dallas man was arrested, and a 34-year-old Campbellfield man was charged on summons, with offences relating to possession of a commercial quantity of illicit tobacco and dealing with proceeds of crime.
• Investigators estimate more than $83 million has been laundered since May 2021 after an inquiry launched in January into cash drops at a Somerton takeaway and linked transactions at an Epping factory.
• Police allege links to Iraqi organised crime entities, say operations use encrypted apps such as Signal and WhatsApp, and warn profits are used to bankroll arson, aggravated burglaries and other serious offending.