Baby formula: Two more arrested after Tram Huyn Bao Phan, Curistos Filippopoulos charged
Two more people have been busted over an alleged baby formula ring as a single mum and a drug addict stand accused of being involved in an organised criminal syndicate raiding the product from Coles supermarkets before onselling it.
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Two further arrests have been made over an illegal baby formula crime ring after a single mother and a drug addict were both charged last month.
Police allege the man and woman were players in a syndicate which raided the product from Coles supermarkets before onselling it.
Small business owner Tram Huyn Bao Phan, 41, was arrested at her Bankstown shop last month before being charged with 10 offences, including receiving stolen goods and dealing with the property proceeds of crime.
A court heard the Vietnamese-Australian dual citizen allegedly made full admissions to police she knew the baby formula tins were stolen but took part in the illegal scheme as she was in financial difficulty.
Curistos Filippopoulos, 45, also fronted Campbelltown Local Court accused of 42 offences, including the alleged robbery of baby formula tins from Coles supermarkets.
Now, a further probe into the illegal sale of baby formula across Sydney’s southwest has led to the arrest of more two people.
A 28-year-old and 31-year-old woman were early on Thursday arrested at Bankstown Police Station.
Both women were hit with 15 counts of shoplifting and disposing property-theft. Police allege the women were involved in the theft of baby formula.
The younger woman was refused bail to appear at Campbelltown Local Court today while the older woman was granted conditional bail to appear at Bankstown Local Court on 29 July.
The arrests come after a court last month heard father-of-two Curistos Filippopoulos allegedly made full admissions to police about brazenly robbing the baby formula tins, saying “I did it because I need the money”.
Police will allege Filippopoulos stole tins of the popular product from various supermarkets before Phan onsold the formula through the Bankstown shop.
The court heard the Rockdale man was on bail for other offences, including stealing property by deception.
He had also been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had been visiting a methadone clinic in Kogarah daily.
His lawyer Veronica Love told the court, when applying for bail, Filippopoulos needed to be in the community to care for his young family and continue his drug and mental health treatment.
The application was opposed by the police prosecutor Sergeant Jason Burt who said the 45-year-old should’ve known what he was risking when he allegedly staged the robberies.
“When committing offences it always puts into jeopardy the ability to perform those family duties,” he said.
Magistrate George Breton said the alleged criminal syndicate could “hardly be described as sophisticated” and said the alleged players were naive to believe they wouldn’t be caught.
The court heard Filippopoulos would “load up” with baby formula tins and simply walk out of the supermarket.
Police raids at Phan’s Bankstown shop and Chester Hill home allegedly netted more than 250 tins of stolen baby formula, $45,850 cash and a range of suspected stolen property including nappies, Manuka honey and toothbrushes.
Phan appeared by videolink at Campbelltown Local Court and was granted $5000 bail, on the condition she lives at her Chester Hill home, surrenders her passport, reports to police weekly and not associate with other alleged members of the criminal syndicate.
The court heard she arrived in Australia in 2002 and lives with her family.
Her matter will return to Burwood Local Court on June 17.
Filippopoulos was refused bail with the matter to return to Burwood Local Court on the same day. The matter is to be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
A tip-off from a member of the public led police to arrest Filippopoulos in a vehicle stop at Gibson St, Padstow on Tuesday.
Police footage showed officers stopping Filippopoulos as he drove a car fitted with ‘baby on board’ signs. He was seen speaking with detectives as they handcuffed him and escorted him into a van.
