Tobacco wars: Specialist detectives investigate suspicious attack on Belmont cigarette shop

Specialist detectives have been called in to investigate a suspicious attack on a Belmont cigarette shop as the state’s tobacco war intensifies.

Detectives from the Lunar Taskforce are investigating a suspicious fire at a Belmont tobacco shop.

Geelong has again been caught up in Victoria’s escalating tobacco wars with a Belmont vape shop targeted in the early hours of Friday morning.

Police say a suspicious fire was lit at the Belmont Lotto & Tobacconist on High St, inside Belmont Village Shopping Centre, just after midnight.

The shop’s front window had been smashed and officers had blocked off the area on Friday morning.

Police said no one was inside the premises at the time of the attack.

Specialist detectives from Melbourne’s Lunar Taskforce were called in to investigate the blaze.

Detectives from the Lunar Taskforce are investigating a suspicious fire at a Belmont tobacco shop.

Investigators believe it was a targeted attack and will look into possible links between other recent fires at tobacco and vape stores in the region and across the state.

It is understood rising tensions between Middle Eastern crime gangs fighting to control the tobacco industry is behind the crime wave.

A number of tobacco stores in Geelong and across Victoria have been hit in recent months.

A store in Lara was attacked with molotov cocktails twice in four days in February.

Witnesses reported seeing multiple vehicles allegedly drive slowly past the shop just before 7am before the firebomb was thrown onto the pavement in front of the store.

Tobacco shops in Whittington and Leopold have also been targeted.

Anyone with information or dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Originally published as Tobacco wars: Specialist detectives investigate suspicious attack on Belmont cigarette shop