Mostaf Al Shaikhly and Mahdi Al Harbiah charged over alleged extortion at Craigieburn smoke shop

Two men have been charged after the owner of a Craigieburn smoke shop was allegedly told that if he did not ‘pay up’, his store would be torched.

Detectives investigating Victoria’s raging tobacco wars have charged two key players they allege were involved in the extortion of a Craigieburn tobacco store owner.

Mostaf Al Shaikhly, 21, from Greenvale, and Mahdi Al Harbiah, 21, from Mickleham, faced the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday for a brief administrative hearing.

Police allege the two men entered the Fairways Boulevard convenience store with a phone after 10.30pm on Tuesday, demanding to speak to the owner.

The man on the other end of the phone allegedly threatened the owner, saying if he did not “pay up” then his store would be “blown up” like the dozens of tobacco stores that have been firebombed in recent months.

The owner refused and a verbal stoush ensued, before the two men fled the shop in a silver Mercedes.

Police arrested a 21-year-old in the CBD on Wednesday. Picture: Victoria Police

Mr Al Shaikhly was arrested on Bourke St in Melbourne’s CBD before 6pm on Wednesday by the special operations group and charged with extortion with threats to destroy/endanger property.

The silver Mercedes he was driving was also seized to undergo forensic testing.

Four hours later, police arrested Mr Al Harbiah and charged him with the same offence.

The pair made no application for bail on Thursday.

The court heard this would be Mr Al Shaikhly’s first time in custody, while Mr Al Harbiah’s defence lawyer told Magistrate Andrew McKenna her client has asthma.

They will return to court on May 9 for a committal case conference.

Commander Paul O’Halloran said the pair of arrests were significant. Picture: David Crosling

Earlier, Victoria Police commander Paul O’Halloran said organised crime bosses were using this method of extortion to scare and intimidate rivals as the tobacco wars continue to rage.

“These are key arrests and testament to the work led by Lunar Taskforce to target those allegedly involved in these organised crime syndicates,” he said.

“Police will allege this was an offence with direct links to those at the top of the syndicate and one that was also designed to create significant fear through the intimidation of the victims.

“However, we know that this fight is far from over – while we will continue to do everything we can to disrupt the serious and violent offending linked to these groups, we still have those willing to target stores through arson attacks and more.”

Majid Alibadi has been charged over four firebombings.

Detectives from the Lunar Taskforce are now investigating 35 blazes linked to the illicit tobacco industry, including fires at smoke shops, gyms, restaurants and ice cream joints.

Escalating friction between two Middle Eastern organised crime gangs fighting for control of the industry is understood to be behind the tense warfare.

Exiled crime kingpin Kazem “Kaz” Hamad is suspected of orchestrating much of the chaos from overseas, turning up the heat on his rivals from thousands of kilometres away.

Earlier this week, an alleged ringleader from the Hamad syndicate, Majid Alibadi, 25, made a bid for bail after he was charged over four firebombings.

The businesses allegedly targeted by Mr Alibadi are either owned by or linked to a rival criminal syndicate run by the Haddara family, who have had longstanding control of the illicit tobacco sector.

Detective Leading Senior Constable Matthew Lindsay from the Lunar Taskforce told the court Mr Alibadi is the “regional operations manager” for the Hamad syndicate and was in “personal contact” with Mr Hamad prior to his arrest.

He said Mr Alibadi was captured on CCTV footage at a Glenroy tobacco store in September last year handing a phone to the owner and uttering: “Listen to my friend.”

It is alleged Mr Alibadi assisted Mr Hamad who demanded over the phone that the man pay $2000 per month or his store would be damaged.

It is not known whether Mr Hamad is also alleged to have threatened the owner of the Craigieburn tobacco store.

The arrests come as two Ballarat smoke shops became the latest casualties in the tobacco wars, with stores on Little Bridge St in Bakery Hill and Curtis St in Ballarat Central hit early on Thursday morning with two cars found torched nearby.