Ferntree Gully Belgrave
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Tuesday, 4 June, 2024
A Star News Group Publication
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20 children involved but police say..
Cartel is smashed A crime syndicate of teenagers has been dismantled after the arrests of a gang’s ringleaders linked to cigarette and cash burglaries across Melbourne. Eastern Region Crime Squad detectives arrested four adults, including a 19-year-old Ferntree Gully man and a 53-year-old Silvan man, on Wednesday 29 May who allegedly orchestrated a network of child offenders to steal over $2 million worth of cigarettes and cash from service stations and supermarkets across Melbourne. Investigators will allege two 19-year-old men recruited more than 20 children aged between 12 and 17 to carry out over 140 cigarette burglaries and armed robberies across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs since the start of this year. These burglaries and armed robberies occurred at 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 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 onsold 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 on Wednesday led to the arrest of these four men, 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 today relate to an aggravated home invasion in Bulleen where they allegedly forced entry to a home while armed with knives. The other 19-year-old was arrested in respect to weapons related charges. Eastern Region Regional Crime Advisor Acting Inspector Dale Maxwell said these arrests proved that police were also prioritising the charging of those responsible for the planning and coordination of these crimes. “Children as young as 12 have allegedly been recruited by adults intent on lining their own pockets without getting their hands dirty,” he said. “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.” Before Wednesday, 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. Continued page 3
Hamish, Maitreya and Bodhi from Gembrook Pre School with their banner. Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
Uniting for reconciliation National Reconciliation Week from 27 May to 3 June was marked by the youth, community and representatives from Cardinia Shire and Yarra Ranges Council on 28 May in Emerald. Primary and pre-primary school students from Emerald, Selby, Gembrook and Kallista came to perform on the day and artist Emmy Webbers launched a new exhi-
bition at the Hills Hub. The Patch resident, Djirri Djirri dancer and proud Wurundjeri, Djadjawurrung and Ngurai Illum-Wurrung woman Stacie Piper opened the ceremony with a Welcome to Country. “Wominjenka - it’s been a pleasure to welcome you all,” she said. More on page 11
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