Melbourne tobacco shop firebombed twice in one week

Majid Alibadi, a key lieutenant of jailed tobacco kingpin Kazem Hamad, has been sentenced to at least three years in prison for orchestrating arson and car thefts during Victoria's tobacco wars. The Melbourne man was charged in 2023 with inciting arson and car theft on behalf of the Hamad crime syndicate. Alibadi was convicted of setting fires at the Karizma restaurant in Docklands and a reception centre in Tullamarine, causing nearly $2 million in total damage.

Judge Duncan Allen described Alibadi's actions as "brazen" and "carefully planned." The court heard Alibadi had a history of drug addiction, severe post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. He pleaded guilty to the charges, and the judge took his guilty plea into account during sentencing. Alibadi's life sentence for drug trafficking in Iraq and Maytham Hamad's remand in Western Australia means Alibadi can no longer associate with the Hamad syndicate, potentially allowing him to start anew.