Two arrested after Glenroy shops destroyed in raging tobacco war

A third teenager has been arrested after an alleged firebombing of a smoke shop in Melbourne’s north, with police warning “it is only a matter of time before one of these offenders kills themselves”.

Detectives from the Taskforce Lunar are investigating two fires at separate tobacco stores in Glenroy on Friday. Picture: Facebook

Police have arrested a third child after a pair of tobacco shops was torched in Glenroy earlier this month.

The Smoke & Co store on Morgan Ct and Glenroy Cigarettes on Belair Ave were set alight within minutes of each other in the early hours of May 17.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested on Thursday morning and charged with criminal damage by fire and theft of motor vehicle.

He was remanded to appear at a children’s court at a later date.

It comes after Lunar detectives last week arrested a 17-year-old boy at his home before charging him with arson, theft of motor vehicle and possessing a prohibited weapon.

He was bailed to appear at a children’s court at a later date.

Another boy, who was initially arrested following an investigation into a separate matter, was also arrested and charged with arson, theft of motor vehicle, possess prohibited weapon and possession of cannabis

One of the children sustained serious burns in the early morning attacks.

Detective Inspector Graham Banks said it was a prime example of children being recruited by hardened organised criminals to carry out the firebombings.

“This is yet again another example of organised crime groups utilising vulnerable children to commit extremely serious crimes,” he said.

“One of the boys involved suffered serious burns, which we are consistently seeing occurring and it is only a matter of time before one of these offenders kill themselves, or an innocent member of the public.

“These arrests were extremely timely and reflect the hard work being undertaken by Taskforce Lunar investigators, who will continue the investigation to identify those who tasked the children.”

Emergency crews were first called to the Smoke & Co store on Morgan Court in Glenroy about 4.15am on Friday, May 17.

A burnt out Holden Cruze wagon sat on the footpath outside the shop, which appeared to be completely destroyed.

Neighbouring stores appeared to have escaped any major damage in the blaze.

Minutes later, about 300m away, Glenroy Cigarettes was torched on Belair Ave in Glenroy about 4.19am.

It was left a burnt out wreck, with part of the store reduced to rubble on the footpath.

The store’s security roller door was completely ripped off but there was no vehicle left at the scene on Friday.

Exterior signage on the conveyancer and nail salon nearby were also burnt in the blaze.

Both blazes were deemed suspicious and targeted but no arrests had been made as of Friday afternoon.

They became the seventh and eighth smoke shops to be torched in less than a week.

Lunar detectives on Friday afternoon arrested two men wanted after they allegedly torched a Major Rd tobacco store in Fawkner on Thursday.

Police and the Special Operations Group arrested a 19-year-old Westmeadows man at his home where they seized an imitation firearm during a search warrant.

Officers then swooped on a 35-year-old Broadmeadows man in his suburb shortly after.

They are accused of using bolt cutters to free the locks that held the security door down, reversing a stolen car into the shop and setting it alight.

Two tobacco shops were suspiciously razed by fire in Melbourne’s north on Friday.

Emergency services were called to the first business on Morgan Ct about 4.15am.

It is alleged they set the vehicle on fire on Erinbank Circuit in Westmeadows a short time later.

They were later captured on CCTV footage with one of the pair allegedly holding a gun.

The pair were being quizzed late on Friday afternoon and are expected to be charged over the Fawkner blaze.

Detective Inspector Graham Banks of the Lunar Taskforce said the flurry of fires within the past week was a major concern.

They include fires at smoke shops in Epping, Ararat, Hadfield, Gladstone Park, Meadow Heights, Fawkner and two in Glenroy since last Saturday.

“We recently had a period without fires, however we have seen eight in the past week and this is a significant concern for police,” he said at a press conference on Friday.

“We know these groups are reckless and relentless when it comes to the relentless seeking of control over illicit tobacco profits and do not care for the safety of the broader community.”

Without naming him, Detective Inspector Banks said Kazem Hamad was continuing to orchestrate much of the chaos from overseas.

He is believed to be operating in the Middle East and is known to directly threaten rival syndicates over the phone.

“It’s fair to say that one syndicate in particular has been the predominant aggressor in relation to (the fires) and is controlled by a person who is offshore,” he added.

A 50-year-old Truganina man, who was shot in a brazen shooting in Jacana in recent days, has also been linked to the illicit smoke trade.

It comes after four separate fire attacks believed to be linked to the fight for Victoria’s illicit tobacco trade hit Melbourne over the weekend.

A Hadfield tobacconist, called Middle East Tobacconist, went up in flames over the weekend. Picture: Tony Gough

Arsonists torched a MMM Mini Mart store on Sunday morning at the Gladstone Park Shopping centre. Less than an hour before, a Hadfield tobacconist, called Middle East Tobacconist, went up in flames.

Two other smoke shops were also razed by fire on Saturday.

A vape shop was targeted on Barkly St in Ararat in the state’s west about 3.30am.

About 30 minutes later, arsonists torched the Epping Tobacconist, Vape and Shisha Store, completely destroying its interior and badly damaging their security roller door.

A suspicious blaze destroyed a tobacco shop on High St, Epping. Picture: Epping CFA

More than 45 separate arsons are believed to be linked to the ongoing tobacco conflict.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppersvic.com.au