Victorian abalone syndicate busted

A crime syndicate has allegedly been selling hundreds of thousands of dollars of abalone a year on the black market in Melbourne.

Abalone, rock lobster and other shellfish were allegedly taken from southwest Victoria before being sold on the black market in Melbourne.

"To date, houses to the value of $4.7 million have been identified for confiscation together with a very large quantity of cash at those addresses," Detective Inspector John Piazza told reporters on Tuesday.

"We have a number of suspects. In fact, a large number of suspects are currently being questioned in relation to today's operation."

Fourteen people have been arrested and search warrants are still being executed on properties in Melbourne's west.

The Department of Environment and Primary Industries investigation into the syndicate has been ongoing for about 12 months, DEPI education and enforcement acting director Ian Parks says.

"We are alleging that this is a syndicate," he said.

"The black market unfairly competes with the legitimate commercial fisheries. It also compromises food safety and also is a threat to sustainability.

"It's a high priority for the department."

The syndicate has allegedly been involved in trafficking hundreds of thousands of dollars of abalone per year, police and the DEPI say.