‘Kaz tax’: Melbourne tobacco wars kingpin sets sights on Adelaide

Ominous online threats sent to smoke stores operators show the tobacco warfare that has plagued Melbourne is poised to spill into South Australia.

Ominous online threats sent to smoke store operators have indicated the tobacco warfare which has plagued Victoria for 18 months may be headed for Adelaide.

The Herald Sun has been told tobacconists and vape retailers in South Australia have received messages from two rival Melbourne-based syndicates making forceful demands.

Those gangs have for almost two years been warring over the lucrative Victorian market, resulting in a wave of firebombings across the state.

A message, purportedly from Kazem Hamad, threatens Adelaide shop owners that if they don’t pay him a monthly fee they’ll ‘u see ur shop on the news one day’. Picture: Supplied

A message purportedly from one of the key combatants in the Victorian conflict, Kazem Hamad, spells out his wish that tobacconists pay him.

“So I thought with my community backing me up, I can run the commission there,” it reads.

“So I like to ask for every shop $1500 a month. If you don’t like it, please get off the group chat.

“When I call you outside this group chat, u be paying 5k a month and goes up every 6 months (and) if you don’t pay u see ur shop on the news one day.”

There have been 98 shop firebombed as part of Melbourne’s tobacco wars. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Hamad, who was deported to Iraq last year, has been raking in big money here by standing over tobacconists under threat of arson if they do not pay.

But a message from a rival group warns there will be consequences for handing over money to Hamad.

“Think smart and hard … any dogs who wanna pay the Kaz tax in SA, enjoy the news clips,” it says.

Some of the blazes of recent months in Victoria were reportedly directed at businesses which had paid the “Kaz tax”.

South Australia has more a tightly regulated tobacco sector than Victoria. Picture: Supplied

One source said the recent firebombing of an Adelaide business was related to friction over the smoke sector.

South Australia has a more tightly regulated tobacco sector than Victoria and had largely avoided the kind of chaos which has erupted in the state.

The Herald Sun has been told Hamad has for some time had his sights on markets outside of Victoria.

There have been underworld murmurings that he has involved himself in the illicit tobacco trade in New South Wales, though there has been little of the instability and consequent torchings which have been such an issue in Victoria.

West Australia has had numerous fires this year which are suspected of being related to the Hamad syndicate’s activities.

Originally published as ‘Kaz tax’: Melbourne tobacco wars kingpin sets sights on Adelaide