An alleged "ringleader" of a criminal tobacco syndicate has briefly faced court, accused of masterminding a scheme to distribute illegal cigarettes, tobacco and vapes.
Abdul El Houli, 49, appeared at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday morning after being charged with 24 offences including unlawfully possessing tobacco and supplying illicit tobacco.
Police allege he orchestrated a scheme to distribute about five million cigarettes, seven tonnes of loose leaf tobacco and more than 5000 vapes over a 10-month period, dodging more than $36 million in excise taxes.
He allegedly tapped into connections or criminal associates working in freight and logistics, with the products hidden in orders for kitchen items or clothing brought in by air cargo or ship.
El Houli and his co-accused, Yusuf Issam, 29, who is charged with moving tobacco across Victoria and Australia, both sat in the front row of the court on Thursday.
The two men asked for their bail to be varied to allow them to go closer to a property on Ari Drive in Campbellfield, Melbourne's north.
El Houli's lawyer asked for the exclusion zone around the property to be reduced from within 5000 metres to 50 metres as he said the address was near his client's "principal place of business".
The pair will return to court on December 15.
Victorian and federal police, and Australian Border Force, claimed El Houli was a criminal syndicate "ringleader" in a media release on Thursday, and further arrests were expected as part of their investigation.
About 70 pallets of alleged illicit tobacco products were seized on Tuesday, with the full scale of the haul to be counted in coming days.
Vapes, tobacco manufacturing equipment, a cash counting machine and other items were seized during six search warrants in Melbourne's north.
A war between rival groups fighting over the profits of illicit tobacco has rattled Victoria for two years, with more than 100 firebombings on tobacco shops and other buildings linked to the conflict.
"These offences put the broader community at increased risk of harm and already we have seen unnecessary deaths as a result of these arson attacks," Victoria Police Commander Paul O'Halloran said, before the court hearing.
"I think the public should feel outraged at the way these groups are reaping millions of dollars while putting the community at immense risk."
AFP Acting Commander Investigations Ray Imbriano said investigators are relentlessly working to bring criminals to justice.
"Illicit tobacco has fuelled unspeakable violence and crime in our communities," he said.
"The joint investigation into this alleged criminal syndicate is yet another step in law enforcement's efforts to dismantle these illicit operations."
