Detectives are still sifting through reams of phone data and CCTV footage after charging a man over the assassination of an alleged underworld figure.
Mohammed Keshtiar had been walking with another man when he was gunned down by a drive-by shooter in a laneway off Melbourne's popular Chapel Street precinct in South Yarra on August 4, 2023.
Narre Warren man Adris Kheyali, 23, was arrested on Friday and charged with murder and conduct endangering life.
He appeared before the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday evening and he was remanded in custody.
While investigations began in 2023, prosecutors said there were still significant amounts of phone data and CCTV footage that police needed to look at.
"Those investigations have been occurring and they're still ongoing. It's just that now the police have sufficient evidence to lay charges," the police prosecutor told the court.
"It's a complex, ongoing organised crime investigation that requires significant work on all the materials."
Mr Keshtiar and his associate had been walking on Almeida Crescent after a gym session when a stolen grey Prado approached and a passenger fired multiple shots in their direction, police said.
A person in dark clothing then got out of the car and fired several more rounds at Mr Keshtiar as he lay incapacitated on the ground.
The gunman made a quick getaway in the car, which was later found on fire in Endeavour Hills.
Passers-by attempted to help the 53-year-old but he died in hospital, while his associate was not hurt and fled the scene to safety.
Kheyali's lawyer told the court it was his first time in prison and the accused was suffering from a knee injury and a head injury.
A $1 million reward was offered in September for information to help solve the cold-case murder.
Homicide Squad Detective Inspector Dean Thomas at the time described the incident as a "deliberate, planned and organised assassination" and a concerning display of public violence.
He said Mr Keshtiar was linked to a number of outlaw motorcycle gangs and associated with Middle Eastern organised crime groups.
Detectives had been keeping an open mind over whether the killing was linked to a ongoing underworld war over the profits of illegal tobacco.
Kheyali will next face the court in August.
