Men allegedly recruited teen gang for $2m series of robberies

Investigators will allege two 19-year-old men recruited the children, aged 12 to 17, to carry out over 140 cigarette burglaries and armed robberies across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs since the start of this year.

The group allegedly targeted service stations, supermarkets, and tobacconists in suburbs including Blackburn, Balwyn, Boroondara, Burwood, Clayton, Camberwell, Doncaster East, Hawthorn, Lilydale, Oakleigh, and Somerville.

Police will allege the two 19-year-old men would provide children with stolen vehicles and specific locations to carry out the burglaries and steal cigarettes.

It’s alleged the two men, who police said have known links to youth gangs, would pay the children a couple of hundred dollars cash in return for the stolen cigarettes.

The cigarettes would then allegedly be on-sold to two cigarette vendors – a 33-year-old man and a 53-year-old man – with businesses in Silvan, Burwood, and Cremorne.

Sixteen early morning warrants executed yesterday saw all four men arrested, as well as three other adults aged 19, 19, 18, and a 15-year-old boy.

Two of the men and the 15-year-old boy have previously been arrested in connection to cigarette burglaries, however, their arrests yesterday related to an aggravated home invasion in Bulleen where they allegedly broke into a home while armed with knives, police said.

The other 19-year-old was arrested in respect to weapons-related charges.

Before today, police had already made 38 arrests in relation to the 140 cigarette burglaries committed since the start of the year – 37 of which related to children under the age of 18.

These people were charged with more than 270 offences.

The alleged ringleaders and the alleged receivers of stolen cigarettes are being interviewed by police, with charges expected to be laid.

During the warrants, police also seized $243,000 in cash; “significant” amounts of cigarettes, tobacco, and vapes; weapons including a machete, sword, imitation gun, nunchakus, a metal baton, and knuckle dusters; and more than 200 cannabis plants.

Police said there had been a “sharp increase” in cigarette burglaries across Melbourne this year.

“Children as young as 12 have allegedly been recruited by adults’ intent on lining their own pockets without getting their hands dirty,” Acting Inspector Dale Maxwell alleged.

“These adults are intentionally preying on youth to offend on their behalf in the misguided hope they won’t be linked to the offending while they profit substantially.”