Police probe possible tobacco wars link after car set alight in Glenroy
A car has been torched near a tobacco store in Melbourne’s north in what may be the latest in a string of attacks in the city’s ongoing tobacco war.
Police & Courts
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A van was set alight in the early hours of Saturday morning in Glenroy, in what may have been the most recent attack in the ongoing Melbourne tobacco wars.
Emergency services were called to the scene about 4.50am, after three offenders were reported pouring what appeared to be an accelerant on the vehicle.
The car was then set alight and the trio fled the scene.
While police say at this stage the motive remains unclear, the fire is being treated as suspicious and a crime scene has been established.
A white van remained largely burnt-out and destroyed in front of Glenroy Cigarettes on Saturday morning.
The store’s security roller doors appeared to remain intact and arson chemists are due to attend the scene.
The same tobacconist was set alight in similar circumstances on May 17.
It was one of two Glenroy smoke shops to be torched on that day before Lunar detectives moved to arrest three children.
Two boys, aged 15 and 17, and another boy, were later hit with a series of charges including arson and theft of motor vehicle.
Saturday morning’s blaze brings the number of tobacco shop fires close to 80 as major syndicates continue to battle for control.
Exiled crime boss Kazem Hamad has been unrelenting in his alleged attempts to eliminate western suburbs tobacco king Fadi Haddara, who ran the illicit trade largely unopposed for years.
Witnesses or anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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