SA Police investigate slew of tobacco shop arson attacks after Pennington ram raid and fire

Amid a spate of at least 15 arson attacks on tobacco stores around the city, a store has been rammed with a car and set alight with a burning mattress.

Detectives are investigating a suspicious fire at a gift shop in Adelaide’s northwest, in an escalation of the tit-for-tat arson attacks plaguing the city.

On Tuesday, just before 5am, a vehicle was driven into the front of the shop on Addison Rd, Pennington, causing significant damage to the building’s structure.

After the crash, the shop – which had smoking accessories visible on shelves – was damaged further when a mattress at the front of the business was doused in an accelerant and set alight.

Crime Scene officers were at the scene on Tuesday morning, investigating one of the at least 15 recent attacks on stores selling tobacco, vapes and smoking accessories.

SA Police has since confirmed that the Pennington arson arrack has been linked to Operation Eclipse.

A ram raid at a shop on the corner of Addison Rd and Wynette St, Pennington. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

Smoking accessories for sale inside the shop. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

Owner of Addison Rd Takeaway Roda Spano – situated next to the damaged Addison Gift House – said she was an innocent casualty of the arson attack.

“The electrical wiring in our shop has been ruined,” she said. “We’ve been waiting for an electrician to come down for a few hours now – which is annoying – but fortunately our shop is always closed on Tuesdays anyways.”

Ms Spano said she had observed the next door business to have different owners over the course of five years. She also said the shop looked “quite busy”.

Fish and chip shop owner Rosa Spano, whose takeaway store is part of the same complex as the business that was targeted. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

“I didn’t really know the owners. I’m busy running my own shop. And they would always seem to be different from day in to day out,” she said.

Ms Spano said she was also aware of the different arson attacks throughout the state on tobacco shops and believes this might have been the latest in a long strings of firebombings.

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 or online.

It comes as police revealed last month they were investigating whether a series of recent arson attacks across the state were linked to a lucrative tobacco war.

At least 15 cigarette shops have been targeted in arson attempts in the last three months.

Potential links between local incidents and the ongoing tobacco wars in Victoria are also being investigated.

On Monday, there was an attempted arson attack on a tobacco shop on Grand Junction Rd, Rosewater.

The incident led police officers to arrest the young manager after they allegedly found meth pipes and bongs for sale.

It is not suggested the manager had a part in the arson attack.

The previous day there was a suspected arson attack on another tobacco shop in Stonyfell.

That business had previously been embroiled in a separate controversy, with SA Health authorities last year investigating whether or not the tobacco shop was licensed.

Prior to that ASG Smokes and Gifts in Brooklyn Park was believed to have been the intended target after a suspicious fire at an IT business on Henley Beach Road.

A Flinders Park real estate business was also targeted for the second time in a row over the weekend.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by those who were the subject of attacks.

Originally published as SA Police investigate slew of tobacco shop arson attacks after Pennington ram raid and fire