Abdulkarim Tabaraiy, Ali Firuzi, Amanda Jane Simmonds charged after police seize 100,000 vapes

Police have charged a tobacconist and a delivery driver after uncovering tens of thousands of allegedly illicit vapes stored in a warehouse in the state’s Hunter region.

A generic image of vapes. Picture: Liam Kidston

Police have charged a tobacconist and a delivery driver after uncovering tens of thousands of allegedly illicit vapes stored in a warehouse in the state’s Hunter region.

Hair salon owner and tobacconist Abdulkarim Tabaraiy, 52, delivery driver Ali Firuzi, 40, and a third co-accused, Amanda Jane Simmonds, 36, all faced Parramatta Bail Court on Tuesday.

Firuzi, who has pleaded not guilty, faces a charge of possessing 1000 times the commercial quantity of vaping goods, as does Tabaraiy.

Tabaraiy and Simmonds, who are yet to enter pleas, are also charged with dealing with proceeds of crime in relation to a nearly $60,000 sum of cash.

The court heard police had allegedly seen Firuzi leaving a Rutherford warehouse facility on Monday with four cardboard boxes.

Parramatta Bail Court, where the charged trio appeared on Tuesday.

A search of the boxes revealed about 700 vapes, the court heard, prompting officers to search the warehouse facility and locate up to 100,000 vapes – more than 1000 times the commercial quantity – stored inside.

On Tuesday, police prosecutor Tim Stirton told the court the storage unit was registered in Tabaraiy’s name.

It is not alleged the vapes were being sold through Tabaraiy’s legitimate tobacco store.

Sergeant Stirton said police did, however, allege they had located another storage unit that was registered in Firuzi’s name and contained an amount of illicit cigarettes, which are not the subject of any charge.

Police had also located $59,550 in cash – most of which were coins and lower value notes – suspected to be the proceeds of crime, he said.

Tabaraiy and Firuzi’s lawyer, John Kahn, said both his clients were Iraqi nationals who had strong community ties, having lived in Australia for more than a decade.

A generic image of vaping products. Picture: Liam Kidston

Mr Kahn said Firuzi had been picking up the boxes for a delivery and argued there was “no evidence” to suggest the Gillieston Heights resident was aware the boxes contained vapes, or that they were being sold in an illicit fashion.

In relation to Tabaraiy, a Ryde resident, Mr Kahn conceded the prosecution case was stronger.

However, he said strict bail conditions – including a ban on contacting the co-accused, surrendering passports and travel documents, and reporting daily to police – would mitigate the risks of Tabaraiy committing offences or failing to front court in the future.

Acting magistrate Alan Railton ultimately granted Tabaraiy and Firuzi bail.

Simmonds’ matter was also briefly mentioned on Tuesday, when she was granted bail on the same conditions without the opposition of the prosecution.

Tabaraiy’s matter was adjourned to Maitland Local Court on January 22, with Firuzi’s matter set to return to the same court on February 12.

The case of Simmonds, from Rutherford, is next listed on January 15.