Smoke shops believed to be linked to Kazem Hamad go up in flames in Western Australia
The battle for control of the illicit tobacco trade in which dozens of smoke shops have been firebombed in Melbourne has crossed state lines, with an exiled crime boss in the firing line.
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Victoria’s raging tobacco war has crossed state borders, with smoke shops believed to be linked to a major underworld player going up in flames in fiery retaliation attacks in Western Australia.
Melbourne remains the epicentre of the fight for control of the illicit tobacco trade, but a string of arsons on tobacconists on the other side of the country is understood to be revenge against businesses with close links to exiled crime boss Kazem Hamad.
The Herald Sun has been told that the operators running the suburban Perth shops from behind the scenes are closely aligned with Hamad, who is suspected of being one of the main drivers of the brazen arsons in Victoria.
But an underworld source with close knowledge of the conflict said several arsons in Western Australia were a sign of growing retaliation against Hamad, with some heavy hitters from Melbourne becoming frustrated with his violent antics.
In one reported payback attack, offenders dressed in black were seen near one smoke shop southeast of Perth before it went up in flames on March 15.
There have been four tobacco-related arsons in Western Australia this year.
Hamad has emerged as one of the most dominant figures fighting for control of the market and is suspected of making a fortune by importing and distributing illegal tobacco in Australia from overseas.
His vendettas against several powerful crime figures, including prominent boxer Sam ‘The Punisher’ Abdulrahim and Fadi Haddara, are also believed to have fuelled some of the fiery chaos.
Hamad was deported to the Middle East in 2015 after he was convicted of high-level heroin trafficking.
But he is known to terrorise tobacco shop owners himself from overseas, calling victims directly if they do not meet demands for payment delivered by foot soldiers working as part of a standover campaign.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said Victoria Police’s illegal tobacco task force shared intelligence with police in other states, with several key persons of interests understood to have links interstate and overseas.
“The (Lunar) task force works closely with both federal and state based law enforcement agencies including jurisdictional police, the Australian Border Force, Australian Crime Intelligence Commission, AFP and Australian Taxation Office,” she said.
“At this time we believe a number of significant persons of interest connected to the syndicates involved in serious and violent offending in Victoria, including the arson attacks and extortions linked to tobacco retailers, have links interstate or reside offshore.”
Western Australian authorities said they could not provide further details about the attacks because they were under investigation.
Victoria has by far recorded the highest number of tobacco-related fires since the attacks gained momentum in March last year.
More than 40 fires across the state have so far been linked to the tobacco wars by Lunar detectives.
Meanwhile, arsonists torched an Acacia Ridge tobacconist in Queensland on March 11.
A suspicious fire also tore through a tobacco store in the NSW suburb of Casino in March last year.
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