The alleged ringleader of an illicit tobacco syndicate has walked from court despite police pleading to keep him locked up after he was arrested while trying to leave the country. or signup to continue reading Nazir Haddara, 25, did not speak to media after being released on bail from Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday afternoon. He was about to board a flight to Dubai on Tuesday when he was arrested and charged with four offences, including directing the activities of a criminal organisation.
Detective Senior Constable Jessica Keenan alleged Haddara was a flight risk given he was arrested at Melbourne Airport and had access to "multitudes of cash". Haddara put a deposit for a luxury villa in Dubai earlier in October, the court was told. But the detective conceded Haddara had a return flight scheduled a week later and he had recently returned from a holiday in Thailand, while on bail for unrelated charges.
Magistrate Michelle Hodgson found those factors had "neutralised" his flight risk as she bailed Haddara on Thursday. She said while the risk of Haddara endangering the community was "significant", it could be reduced through several bail conditions, including a $150,000 surety. "I am satisfied the conditions could be put in place that would mitigate the risk to an acceptable level," she said.
Police allege Haddara is the head of a syndicate leasing Victorian retail stores to sell and distribute illegal tobacco and vapes. Officers have seized more than one million illic.
