Location of Illicit tobacco shops revealed with numbers more than Woolworths and Coles combined

A Herald Sun investigation can reveal the location of 1044 shops caught selling illicit tobacco since the Victorian turf war began in March 2023. See all the vendors near you.

There are more shops selling illicit tobacco across Victoria than there are Woolworths and Coles stores combined.

A Herald Sun investigation can reveal 1044 shops have been found selling illegal cigarettes, vapes or tobacco pouches since March 2023, when the firebombings began.

There are 534 Woolworths and 425 Coles stores in Victoria, a total of 959 shops.

The alarming figure – dwarfing the major supermarkets – shows the enormous scale of the problem police have in trying to stem the illicit trade.

Victoria is also home to almost the same number of illegal traders than New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia combined.

And Reservoir, with the exception of Melbourne, can be revealed as the state’s illicit tobacco capital with an astonishing 22 shops found selling the illegal tobacco.

The damning data is collected in police intelligence reports and undertaken by undercover agents.

Dr James Martin, a senior lecturer in criminology at Deakin University, said he was not surprised by the number of stores in Victoria because crime gangs involved with the illicit tobacco trade have been based in Melbourne for over a decade.

“When you look nationally at the main players in this black market, your Kaz Hamad and Fadi Haddara et cetera, their Australian base of operations is in Victoria,” he said.

“And they’ve been selling illicit tobacco for a very long time. So it’s an artefact of that and that’s why we are seeing increased violence in this state.”

Tobacco licence enforcement in Victoria won’t start before 2026, leaving retailers frustrated. Picture: Valeriu Campan

However, he added Victorian tobacco crime lords were now expanding interstate.

“It’s a worrying sign, but we are starting to see increased attacks in other states. That’s because Victoria is well serviced by shops selling illicit tobacco, but that demand for the product exists nationally,” he said.

“Other states are probably under-serviced and these Victorian criminals are expanding out in search of increased profits and that’s causing friction with local organised crime gangs.”

The Herald Sun revealed this month that tobacco licence enforcement in Victoria would not start before 2026.

Fadi Haddara is believed to be one of the key players in Melbourne’s tobacco wars.

Kazem Hamad, who is living in Iraq, is also said to be pulling the strings. Picture: Supplied

Retailers have expressed frustration and despair with the state government, saying they have been kept in the dark over the licence implementation.

Due to start on July 1 this year, shops say they do not know where to apply for a licence, how much it will cost or who will be enforcing the scheme.

A regulator hasn’t been appointed, it is not known how many inspectors are needed and there is no budget for the new department, the government has confirmed.

Legislation passed in November last year also doesn’t contain any powers to close a business caught selling illicit tobacco.

More than 100 smoke shops have been firebombed since the fiery tobacco wars started. Picture: Valeriu Campan

A police source said they had seized a shop’s entire illegal product, only to find the store completely restocked with illicit goods just hours later.

“That’s how brazen, how rampant and widespread, this illegal activity is,” the veteran police officer said.

A packet of illegal cigarettes costs between $15-20 while a legal packet costs $55-60.

In many shops the illicit product is not even hidden from view.

An industry expert said illicit tobacco has been allowed to flourish.

“Much like invasive weeds, the number of retailers in Victoria selling illegal tobacco started small,” they said.

“However, they have not been addressed, only encouraged with governments increasing excise on legal products and weak enforcement efforts. They have been allowed to rapidly grow, overtaking the legal trade and fuelling chaos.”