A man and three teenagers have been arrested following a series of cigarette and alcohol thefts across Melbourne suburbs, including Laverton North, earlier this month.
Police arrested four people in Amayla Crescent, Carrum Downs on September 12.
A 17-year-old Pakenham boy has been charged with various counts of armed robbery, robbery, shopsteal, unlawful assault and driving while disqualified.
A 17-year-old Wheelers Hill boy has been charged with various counts of robbery, shopsteal, handling stolen goods, unlawful assault, theft, committing an indictable offence while on bail and assaulting police.
An 18-year-old man from Mount Waverley has been charged with handling stolen goods and committing an indictable offence while on bail.
All three were scheduled to face court at a late day.
A 17-year-old youth from Hampton Park was interviewed and released pending further investigation.
The series relate to up to fourteen incidents across suburbs including Laverton North, Camberwell, Preston, Mooroolbark, Heidelberg Heights, Bentleigh East, Wheelers Hill, Doreen, Alphington, Aspendale, Caulfield South, Carrum Downs, Burwood.
Police have established a dedicated operation in response to a recent increase in offending at packaged liquor outlets and supermarkets across Melbourne.
As part of Operation Cubed, police will be targeting known offending hotspots and using all available intelligence to detect and deter offending.
