NSW Police investigate organised crime links to illegal cigarette trade in NSW

NSW Police are investigating organised crime links to the supply of illegal tobacco to Sydney stores, as fears grow the gangland warfare and fire bombings seen interstate could explode here.

NSW Police are investigating organised crime links to the supply of illegal tobacco to Sydney stores, as fears grow the gangland warfare and fire bombings seen interstate could explode here.

Cheap cigarettes smuggled to Australia from overseas are being sold under-the-counter in tobacconists across Sydney, with the escalation in availability forcing police to run an assessment of the entire illegal market.

The NSW State Crime Command is in charge of the investigation, aiming to avoid an explosion of violence similar to that already seen in Victoria and Queensland.

Acting Deputy Police Commissioner, Scott Cook said police were monitoring any changes in the underground cigarette and vape trade, “as well as groups and networks which may be involved in any serious and organised crime activity associated with the illicit tobacco market”.

Melbourne has been gripped by the so-called tobacco wars over the past 18 months, with rival crime gangs fighting for control of the market. More than 60 tobacconists across Victoria have been firebombed.

Police investigate the firebombing of a tobacconist in Melbourne’s north earlier this month. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

In NSW, a suspicious fire ripped through a tobacconist in Taree several weeks ago.

In the past month, police have made almost daily seizures of illegal cigarettes, vapes and cash from the proceeds of selling them.

Sydney gangster Mohammad Hamzy and Melbourne underworld figure Sam Abdulrahim on social media.

Black market cigarettes bought in Sydney. Police are seizing illegal cigarettes and vapes almost daily.

But both police and underworld sources said NSW crime gangs were not fighting over territory like in Melbourne.

“Here the guys are just concentrating on cocaine and meth. The smaller crews are making money from tobacco and no one is bothering to fight over it,” an underworld source said.

“Although it’s getting bigger so there could be drama.

“The thing about the tobacco trade is they can make big money used to fund cocaine and other drug importations which have even bigger profits.”

One of Melbourne’s major players in their tobacco wars, Sam “the Punisher” Abdulrahim, was recently photographed with major Sydney crime figure Mohammad “little Crazy” Hamzy while in Bali.

“Little Crazy got out of Sydney because he was going to be killed … so there is no way he could do business here, even from overseas,” a source said.

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