Authorities halt Patel family’s illegal Moruya cigarette syndicate

An illegal cigarette and vape syndicate has gone up in smoke, with police uncovering thousands of illegal vapes and cigarettes being sold from a family-run tobacconist and holding a staggering street value.

Pareshkumar Patel admitted to helping run the illegal cigarette operation.

A major illegal cigarette operation has been smothered by police, who found five family members to be illegally selling vapes other tobacco products from their NSW South Coast family business.

Pareshkumar Patel, 38, Dipen Patel, 29, Harsh Patel, 28, Jigneshkumar Patel, 34 and Dhruval Patel, 28 were arrested on July 10 last year after police uncovered their major cigarette syndicate in Moruya.

A NSW Health and South Coast Police District Proactive Crime Team investigation, running between July 2023 and July last year, found the Cignall Tobacconist in Moruya, south of Batemans Bay, to be illegally selling vapes, e-cigarettes, tobacco leaf and other illegal products.

Court documents revealed the Moruya tobacconist is owned and operated by the five Patels.

Investigators staking out the Patels’ store on July 10 last year found more than 40 customers enter and leave the store in less than an hour.

The illegal cigarettes were being sold out of Cignall, Moruya.

Officers then found a white Toyota van sitting near the shop to be filled with several open vape boxes.

The facts stated that the investigators searched the store, with Jigneshkumar being the only Patel inside at the time.

Pareshkumar Patel and his family had more than $700,000 worth of illegal vapes, cigarettes.

During the search, officers uncovered a number of “false walls”, which needed an electronic card swipe to open.

Inside the false walls sat 446 vapes, with Jigneshkumar conceding to police they were sold at the store for $45 each.

Agreed facts reveal the officers then searched the white van, finding keys for a nearby storage facility.

Later that night, officers visited the storage container, witnessing Pareshkumar, Dipen, Harsh and Dhruval loading a white van with boxes of vapes and other illegal items.

The Patels will be sentenced at Batemans Bay Local Court at a later date.

The four family members were arrested at the scene and searched, with police finding a total of $5400 cash in their pockets.

The facts stated that the officers then searched the container, finding and seizing a staggering 123,000 cigarettes, 594 loose leaf tobacco pouches and 6280 vapes.

In total, the illegal items have an estimated street value of $717,000.

The Patels were each charged with dealing with property proceeds of crime valued at $100,000 or more, and participating in a criminal group.

In late 2024, the Patels were granted bail in Batemans Bay Local Court, before each individually appeared in the same court to plead guilty.

However, Pareshkumar returned to Batemans Bay Local Court on Thursday, where his bail was varied by magistrate Roger Clisdell, to allow him to travel to India to visit his sick grandmother.

Pareshkumar, along with the rest of the Patels, will return to Batemans Bay Local Court at a later date for sentencing.

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