Hamad's empire crumbles as jailed crime boss loses control to deputies
Hamad's tobacco syndicate is collapsing into violence after his life sentence in Iraq.
Jailed Iraqi crime lord Kazem Hamad built his Melbourne tobacco trafficking empire on fear and control. The criminal network is falling apart since he went to prison in Iraq earlier this year.
Deputy Ali al-Huseini is trying to seize the cartel's street crews and access billions in illegal profits. Firebombings, extortions and murders have been linked to the power struggle across Melbourne and other states.
Investigators say the chaos happened because Hamad and his cousin Ahmed al-Hamza kept the operation stable through fear. Both are now imprisoned overseas.
Al-Huseini seized the moment. One underworld source said al-Huseini is worse than Kaz.
He is moving ruthlessly to consolidate power. Former allies are abandoning him.
- Life sentence in Iraq, earlier this year
- Kingpin's sentence
- Melbourne tobacco trafficking syndicate
- Criminal enterprise
- Billions in illegal profits
- At stake
Why it mattersA major criminal network's collapse into violence shows how imprisonment of kingpins can weaken entire underworld structures, often at the cost of public safety and unrelated victims caught in turf wars.
AustraliaMelbourne and parts of regional Australia have been hit hardest, with repeated firebombings, shootings and murders linked to the tobacco trade wars since 2023. The violence is likely to continue as the power struggle plays out.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
