An army of arsonists fuelling the illicit tobacco trade fires is being paid a pittance as their gang bosses favour cheap and easy, but impactful retribution.
For less than the cost of a flight to Perth, or a fine dining meal, warring factions in Melbourne’s latest underworld war have been recruiting an army of arsonists-for-hire to torch their rivals’ tobacco shops, restaurants and other businesses.
“What we’re seeing is criminal syndicates recruiting people to commit the arsons. We’ve seen a group of outlaw motorcycle gang members arrested, but we’ve also seen lower-level criminals that are being paid to commit arson or crime on behalf of these syndicates,” said Senior Sergeant Andrew Foot of taskforce Lunar.
Just last week, two venues were firebombed within hours of each other. One of the venues, the Furlan Club in Thornbury, was due to host the boxing match of former bikie turnedThis masthead is not suggesting that Abdulrahim is himself part of any crime gang or involved in the illegal tobacco trade. “People like the Chaouks, the Haddaras, the Tibas, and the Kheirs, their time has passed. With the importation game being worth more than strength and street credit, no one would compete or compare.”The outbreak of serious violence has led to a heavy police crackdown on both the Hamad and Haddara syndicates. Police have executed 70 warrants on tobacconists statewide and charged 20 players connected to the tobacco wars fires and extortion rackets since October.
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