The Source: Kazem Hamad hailed as a ‘Robin Hood’ by the public, outshines Albo

Kazem Hamad is one of Australia’s most wanted men. But plenty of Victorians reckon he’s Robin Hood — and now they want him to expand his criminal empire beyond tobacco.

’King Kaz’ smokes Albo in PR war.

Putting the squeeze on Victoria’s movers, shakers and headline makers

Who would win a popularity contest between criminal mastermind Kazem Hamad and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese?

You might think Hamad — with his fondness for firebombings, record of heroin trafficking, and suspected involvement in all manner of violent crime in Melbourne — would be coming from a long way back.

Well, you’d be dead wrong, if the Herald Sun’s Facebook comments section is anything to go by.

Readers want Hamad to turn his attention to the petrol sector and, after that, bring down supermarket prices. Picture: Supplied

The readers have weighed in hard in favour of Hamad after a Sunday Herald Sun piece outlining how he and other illicit tobacco operators may drive the established legal retailers out of Australia within three years.

It seems people believe Hamad is providing an essential service in these straitened times by flogging lung-busters at less than half the legal price.

The all-round rogue — who is now based in Iraq and subject to an Interpol red notice — was repeatedly branded a “Robin Hood” by those who posted, many of whom said the real criminals were in the tax-hungry federal government.

Albo has been left in the dust according to the Herald Sun Facebook comments. Picture: Stefan Gosatti

“Not all heroes wear capes,” was a common sentiment.

And the notoriously expansionist Hamad was urged to take it even further.

Readers want him to turn his attention to the petrol sector and, after that, bring down prices at the supermarket checkout.

“Rumour has it King Kaz is going to sort out beer and real estate as well,” remarked one punter.

And those who pointed out smoking’s cost to the health system were howled down.

“Here I was thinking they (the story’s authors) were referring to the government as the crime gang,” was one of the responses.

Of course, the issue isn’t confined to the commonwealth. In an election year, our state government may also be mindful of the perils of tripling the price of a commodity used by hundreds of thousands of people.

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Originally published as The Source: Kazem Hamad hailed as a ‘Robin Hood’ by the public, outshines Albo