“I said: ‘If the money is not back to us, we’re coming after your Mum’ … We know where her son goes to kindergarten. Why would we rock up at her house if we’re not going to do something?”

The court heard Haddara used encrypted messaging apps to liaise with members of the syndicate and had a series of bank accounts that received millions of dollars in credit from a network of confectionary and gift shops across Victoria selling illicit tobacco and vapes.

Detective senior constable Jessica Keenan told the court on Wednesday records from the shops listed the number of vapes and illicit tobacco packets by name, leaving behind a trace of the black market items alleged to have been sold through the shops.

Keenan said Haddara had been observed by surveillance agents visiting properties, talking to landlords and carrying out financial transactions.

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“The syndicate continues to grow and expand as a criminal business, despite police interventions disrupting the offending, search warrants and seizures,” Keenan said.

Keenan said phone intercepts showed members of the syndicate treated police intervention as “the cost of doing business” and simply an obstacle to overcome.

“This mindset is demonstrated by some of the shops in which police intervention has taken place, restocking overnight and open for business again the following morning,” Keenan said.

Police searched Haddara’s Hoppers Crossing home after his arrest on Tuesday, and seized a Lamborghini registered under someone else’s name and $40,000 in cash hidden in nappies.

The court heard Haddara, who was living at the address with his partner and 10-month-old child, had been borrowing the luxury car from a friend.

“It’s clear that there’s a significant amount of money that is involved in this illicit tobacco business, and Nazir [Haddara] has demonstrated that he’s been able to get his hands on multitudes of cash,” Keenan said.

Keenan said officers had only been able to locate $70,000 connected to the criminal network, which meant there could be significant cash “out there in other forms” for Haddara to flee Australia.

She argued both men posed a serious threat to the safety of the community and there were no bail conditions that could mitigate that risk.

However, magistrate Michelle Hodgson found the risk of flight had been “neutralised” by Haddara having provided a return ticket for his Dubai trip and resolved to grant bail to both men subject to strict conditions.

“Taking into account all the factors, I’ve concluded that whilst there is a significant risk of both Mr Jassem and Mr Haddara endangering the safety of other members of the community, I am satisfied conditions could be put in place that would ameliorate the risk to an acceptable level,” Hodgson said.

Bail conditions include a $150,000 surety for Haddara and a $100,000 surety for Jassem. The pair will also need to abide by a curfew and will be banned from attending shops selling illicit tobacco, vapes or tobacco products.

With Lachlan Abbott