Seven men were arrested during co-ordinated raids across Sydney over a series of thefts of illegal tobacco going back a year, police said on Wednesday.
It comes amid a spike in illegal tobacco sales and a leading economist urging Treasurer Jim Chalmers wind back the "dumb" tax on legal tobacco.
The criminal gang disrupted on Tuesday is suspected of being behind a major tobacco theft in March 2024.
Four men were captured on CCTV breaking into a storage unit in Casula and loading several boxes containing $1.5 million worth of cigarettes and $10,000 worth of cigarette papers onto a truck.
Another break-and-enter in January resulted in a 38-year-old man suffering significant facial injuries and a partially severed toe.
Among those arrested on Tuesday was a Merrylands man, 47, allegedly involved in directing the criminal gang and being an accessory to the violent Condell Park raid.
Several others were charged with robbery in company.
The 10 police raids also uncovered one tonne of cigarettes and 400kg of loose tobacco.
Organised crime networks (OCNs) would be met with the full force of the NSW Police regardless of their chosen commodity, Detective Superintendent Jason Box said.
"The criminal and violent acts conducted by OCNs to take possession of illicit tobacco highlights their disregard for the law," Det Supt Box said.
"Whilst the criminal networks are determined to conduct illegal acts to possess and distribute illicit tobacco for financial gain, they will find that NSW Police are equally determined to eliminate their illegal activities."
Investigations continue into those involved in a storage unit at North Rocks where police stumbled upon $10 million worth of tobacco in December.
A group of about 20 unknown people were seen running from the scene.
Illegal tobacco use has been rising in recent years as tobacco excise shot up, reaching $1.40 per cigarette on March 1.
"It's an epic fail," Chris Richardson told ABC late on Tuesday.
"We've seen the rise of crime that we basically did with this dumb tax, we've made health worse by making smoking cheaper and blown what I estimate to be a tax hole of $10 billion per year.
"There could be a dumber trifecta, but I don't know what it would be."
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