Second tobacco shop in as many weeks attacked by arsonists
Another tobacconist has been targeted in an early-morning arson attack, this time in the Logan suburb of Eagleby.
Police were called to the business on River Hills Road about 3.30am on Tuesday after reports two men in dark clothing were trying to break in.
Failing to gain entry at either the back or front, the pair allegedly set fire to items at the front of the store.
The Fortitude Valley tobacconist attacked this month. Credit: William Davis
Members of the public and fire crews extinguished the small blaze, with the business reportedly suffering only minor damage.
It follows a string of recent attacks on tobacco shops across Greater Brisbane.
On Thursday, a masked man entered a new store on Wickham Street in Fortitude Valley – next to Prohibition nightclub – about 3am with a jerry can and set the building alight after a confrontation with the owner.
“We have had a number of tobacco stores targeted recently. We can’t confirm whether or not this is related, but that link is being investigated,” Inspector Jane Healy said at the time.
“This has only been a tobacco store for maybe two or three weeks, so it’s very new.”
Brisbane Times revealed in November many convenience stores in the CBD and surrounding suburbs were selling illegally imported cigarettes under the counter – or sometimes in plain sight.
“They’re illegal … I don’t know where we get them, I’m not the manager,” one seller told this masthead.
Almost all stores sold Manchester brand cigarettes, and many also stocked Chinese brand Double Happiness, Korean brand ESSE, imported Marlboro Reds and Winfield Blues, among others.
Prices ranged from $17 to $25 a pack – about 50 per cent cheaper than most legitimately taxed plain-packaging equivalents.
More than 5.2 million cigarettes and 1.2 tonnes of loose tobacco were seized from Queensland retailers in a 12-week blitz from July.
Organised criminals are believed to control about 75 per cent of the market.
An illegal tobacco bust in Brisbane’s Eagle Farm.Credit: Australian Border Force
Police Minister Dan Purdie told Brisbane Times investigators were working to stamp out the possibility of a growing turf war between illegal tobacco suppliers.
“One thing we don’t want to do is jeopardise the safety of innocent Queenslanders,” he said.
“[The incidents are] certainly something that we don’t want to spread or escalate.
“We’ve got assigned detectives in Queensland that are now focusing on potential criminal links to the illegal tobacco trade.
“It’s a growing issue.”
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