{"id":86577,"date":"2026-09-03T01:45:21","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T01:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/86577\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T01:45:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T01:45:21","slug":"tobacco-war-lieutenant-majid-alibadi-jailed-after-police-surveillance-captured-conversations-linking-him-to-firebombings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/86577\/","title":{"rendered":"Tobacco war lieutenant Majid Alibadi jailed after police surveillance captured conversations linking him to firebombings"},"content":{"rendered":"

A senior lieutenant in Melbourne\u2019s illicit tobacco trade has been jailed after police surveillance of his Mercedes-Benz helped expose his role in a series of\u00a0firebombings\u00a0during the 2023 tobacco war.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His downfall came after detectives placed GPS trackers and listening devices on his vehicles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The surveillance captured conversations between\u00a0Alibadi\u00a0and members of the Hamad syndicate, including\u00a0Maytham\u00a0Hamad, as investigators built a case around a string of attacks in Melbourne.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prosecutor Deanna Caruso described\u00a0Alibadi\u00a0as an \u201cupper-level\u00a0middleman\u201d within the syndicate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAlibadi 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.<\/p>\n

“They include laughing together, whilst watching videos of fires and premises associated with the Haddara family.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cKazem Hamad referred to Mr Alibadi as a leader and expected him to behave as such.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The court heard Alibadi helped arrange stolen vehicles, false number plates, petrol\u00a0containers\u00a0and clothing for people tasked with carrying out the attacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He was convicted over the firebombing of Karizma restaurant in Docklands in November 2023, which was linked to the Haddara family.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He was also involved in an attack on a function centre in Tullamarine.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prosecutors estimated the two fires caused almost $2 million in damage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During one conversation captured during the police operation\u00a0Alibadi\u00a0was heard telling an associate that \u201cMaytham doesn’t want it\u00a0(Karizma)\u00a0to be open on Christmas\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The court heard the restaurant was targeted twice in November 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the time, Kazem Hamad was engaged in a violent battle with\u00a0Haddara\u2019s\u00a0group over control of the lucrative illicit tobacco market.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The conflict saw dozens of businesses targeted by firebombers across Melbourne.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Lunar Taskforce was\u00a0established\u00a0in October 2023 to investigate the Hamad syndicate as the violence escalated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Its surveillance operation eventually placed\u00a0Alibadi\u00a0at the centre of the syndicate\u2019s activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kazem Hamad, who was in Iraq at the time, was also regularly in contact with\u00a0Alibadi.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The court heard Alibadi\u2019s relationship with the Hamad family went back to his childhood in Iraq.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hamad was later sentenced to life in prison for drug trafficking in Iraq, while\u00a0Maytham\u00a0Hamad\u00a0remains\u00a0on remand in Western Australia over allegations involving more than $1 million in proceeds of crime.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Defence barrister Dermot Dann KC told the court\u00a0Alibadi\u00a0had now broken contact with the Hamad family.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mr Dann said his client had accepted responsibility for his actions and wanted to leave his criminal past behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Alibadi had also struggled with a long-term methamphetamine addiction.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Judge Duncan Allen took his guilty plea into account when imposing the sentence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The judge also considered Alibadi\u2019s\u00a0strong desire\u00a0to detox from methamphetamine, which he had been using since he was 13.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Judge Allen described the offending as \u201cbrazen\u201d and \u201ccarefully planned\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Had Alibadi fought the charges and been convicted after trial, Judge Allen said he could have faced up to seven years behind bars.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The court also heard about the lifestyle\u00a0Alibadi\u00a0had enjoyed while associated with the syndicate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before his arrest, he lived with his parents and was unemployed but drove a $95,000 Mercedes-Benz.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Police told\u00a0a previous\u00a0court hearing he spent thousands of dollars at designer retailers and high-end restaurants.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Alibadi\u00a0will serve his sentence under restrictive prison conditions because of his links to Hamad and The Commission, also known as the 313.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The court heard he is expected to spend 23 hours a day in a locked-down separation unit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read related topics:Melbourne Crime Wave<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A senior lieutenant in Melbourne\u2019s illicit tobacco trade has been jailed after police surveillance of his Mercedes-Benz 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