Dipen Patel, Harsh Patel, Jigneshkumar Patel, Pareshkumar Patel, Dhruval Patel: Family’s alleged south coast cigarette criminal operation

A family has allegedly pocketed nearly $1m in an illegal cigarette criminal group on the NSW south coast, a court has heard.

The five Patels allegedly pocketed $710,000. Picture: Generic.

Five members of the same family have been accused of running an illegal cigarette criminal group on the NSW south coast, allegedly profiting nearly $1m before their arrest.

Dipen Patel, 29, Harsh Patel, 28, Jigneshkumar Patel, 34, Pareshkumar Patel, 38 and Dhruval Patel, 28, had their cases mentioned for the first time in the Batemans Bay Local Court on Monday.

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

Dhruval Patel has an additional count of dealing with property proceeds of crime.

The five Patels – who reside in Canberra, North Nowra and Batemans Bay – are yet to enter pleas.

Documents tendered to the court allege the Patels were selling illegal cigarettes, e-cigarettes and vapes in Moruya on the NSW south coast.

The Patels’ case was mentioned in the Batemans Bay Local Court. Picture: Tom McGann.

The five men were all arrested and charged on July 9.

Police allege they found $710,000 during the arrests, which officers allege are the proceeds of the illegal sale of the cigarettes.

However, Dhruval Patel was allegedly also in possession of an additional $5400, according to court documents.

All five Patels were granted bail following their arrests.

They did not appear in court and were all represented by Vinny Vijay.

Mr Vijay told Magistrate Doug Dick that the case would likely be resolved, with pleas expected to be entered at the next appearance.

The Patels’ case will return to court on January 20.

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