West St, Hadfield tobacco store firebombed for second time in months

A Hadfield tobacco shop has been firebombed for the second time in two months with detectives probing if the suspicious fire is linked to a recent spate of attacks.

A Hadfield tobacco store has been firebombed for the second time in months.

The blaze was reported to emergency services at about 3.30am on Wednesday.

Police say the fire is suspicious and will investigate connections to a spate of firebombing attacks across Melbourne.

Detectives from the arson and explosives squad arrived on scene about 9.40am.

Investigators inspected a blue kerosene bottle left discarded by the arsonists before entering the building.

The lock from the roller door into the store appeared to be left on the lid of a red rubbish bin outside.

The same West St tobacco store was previously set alight on August 30.

A convenience and tobacco store in Hadfield has been fire bombed for a second time. Picture: David Crosling

The temporary wooden panelling outside the door has been burnt during the attack.

The fire does not appear to have spread very far into the interior of the store.

Leftover merchandise can be seen in trolleys through the hole caused by the fire.

Charlie Druda, who owns Bon Meats, the business next to the tobacco store, said when the firebombing happened he hoped it would not spread.

“Luckily this morning we were not here when it happened but our meat truck was the one to call the firefighters,” Mr Druda said.

“It is scary for me and my employees, we don’t want to be around when it happens.”

Mr Druda said he usually started work daily at 3am but was running late.

“It is very lucky I came in late this morning,” he said.

A bottle of Kerosene outside the front of the shop. Picture: David Crosling

The Lunar Taskforce are investigating if the attacked is linked to organised crime. Picture: David Crosling

Mr Druda and some of his employees were inside their butcher when the last fire was lit.

“It is scary, you are always scared it will spread and then what do you do?” he said.

“We are right next door. If anything happens we could be hurt.”

“Now it is just sort of business in the area — you see these fires all around these suburbs.”

An employee at the news agency nearby said she was getting used to crime on the shopping strip.

“It used to be a safe place but now it isn’t,” she said.

“This is the second time this has happened already.”

A local man said the store had been operating since the first fire bombing.

“They just operate from the front of the store,” the man said.

“You can’t go inside any more but they will sell their cigarettes through the front counter.

“This is clearly another warning.”

“The owner is a bit of a tight ass so he might not have paid up in time.”

Arson detectives have collected several pieces of evidence including the blue kerosene bottle.

They also collected several pieces of glass from inside the doorframe and well as pieces of the flooring near the entrance.

Northcote raid’s cocaine seizure

It comes as police investigating Melbourne’s tobacco organised crime gangs found 850g of cocaine after breaking into a safe they uncovered at Northcote.

Meanwhile detectives from the new Lunar Taskforce found the safe after a raid on a tobacconist on Westgarth St, part of a major sweep of warrants on outlaw stores across Melbourne.

The seized illegal tobacco, vapes, 2kg of cannabis and a code-protected lockbox at the Northcote outlet.

A 40-year-old man detained at the scene refused to give investigators the PIN for the box.

It was subsequently forced open and the cocaine, valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars, was allegedly found inside.

The 40-year-old Northcote man has been charged with trafficking a large commercial quantity of cocaine and possession of a large commercial quantity.

He is expected to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.

Investigators also seized a Jeep Cherokee.

Lunar was set up because of a wave of firebombings of tobacco shops stretching back to March this year and the illicit industry’s links to high-level organised crime.

Detective Senior Sergeant Leigh Howse, of the VIPER Taskforce, said police knew who the main syndicate players were and would pursue them in any way possible.

“While we have arrested a number of people already, we will relentlessly keep working our way up until we get all the way to the top of these organised crime groups,” he said.