A senior lieutenant in Melbourne’s illicit tobacco trade has been jailed after police surveillance of his Mercedes-Benz helped expose his role in a series of firebombings during the 2023 tobacco war.
Majid Alibadi, 27, received a five-year-and-six-month sentence in the Victorian County Court on Wednesday, with a non-parole period of three years.
The court heard Alibadi acted as an organiser for the Hamad crime syndicate and directed offenders involved in attacks on businesses linked to rival gangland figure Fadi Haddara.
His downfall came after detectives placed GPS trackers and listening devices on his vehicles.
The surveillance captured conversations between Alibadi and members of the Hamad syndicate, including Maytham Hamad, as investigators built a case around a string of attacks in Melbourne.
Prosecutor Deanna Caruso described Alibadi as an “upper-level middleman” within the syndicate.
“Alibadi has a positive working relationship with both Kazem Hamad and Maytham Hamad, especially Maytham, who he regularly converses on a wide range of topics,” she told the court.
“They include laughing together, whilst watching videos of fires and premises associated with the Haddara family.
“Kazem Hamad referred to Mr Alibadi as a leader and expected him to behave as such.”
The court heard Alibadi helped arrange stolen vehicles, false number plates, petrol containers and clothing for people tasked with carrying out the attacks.
He was convicted over the firebombing of Karizma restaurant in Docklands in November 2023, which was linked to the Haddara family.
He was also involved in an attack on a function centre in Tullamarine.
Prosecutors estimated the two fires caused almost $2 million in damage.
During one conversation captured during the police operation Alibadi was heard telling an associate that “Maytham doesn’t want it (Karizma) to be open on Christmas”.
The court heard the restaurant was targeted twice in November 2023.
At the time, Kazem Hamad was engaged in a violent battle with Haddara’s group over control of the lucrative illicit tobacco market.
The conflict saw dozens of businesses targeted by firebombers across Melbourne.
The Lunar Taskforce was established in October 2023 to investigate the Hamad syndicate as the violence escalated.
Its surveillance operation eventually placed Alibadi at the centre of the syndicate’s activities.
Kazem Hamad, who was in Iraq at the time, was also regularly in contact with Alibadi.
The court heard Alibadi’s relationship with the Hamad family went back to his childhood in Iraq.
Hamad was later sentenced to life in prison for drug trafficking in Iraq, while Maytham Hamad remains on remand in Western Australia over allegations involving more than $1 million in proceeds of crime.
Defence barrister Dermot Dann KC told the court Alibadi had now broken contact with the Hamad family.
Mr Dann said his client had accepted responsibility for his actions and wanted to leave his criminal past behind.
Alibadi had also struggled with a long-term methamphetamine addiction.
Judge Duncan Allen took his guilty plea into account when imposing the sentence.
The judge also considered Alibadi’s strong desire to detox from methamphetamine, which he had been using since he was 13.
Judge Allen described the offending as “brazen” and “carefully planned”.
Had Alibadi fought the charges and been convicted after trial, Judge Allen said he could have faced up to seven years behind bars.
The court also heard about the lifestyle Alibadi had enjoyed while associated with the syndicate.
Before his arrest, he lived with his parents and was unemployed but drove a $95,000 Mercedes-Benz.
Police told a previous court hearing he spent thousands of dollars at designer retailers and high-end restaurants.
Alibadi will serve his sentence under restrictive prison conditions because of his links to Hamad and The Commission, also known as the 313.
The court heard he is expected to spend 23 hours a day in a locked-down separation unit.
Read related topics:Melbourne Crime Wave