The federal government has announced a border force crackdown on illegal tobacco imports, after yet another suspicious shop fire, which started early Sunday morning amid Victoria’s so-called tobacco wars.
The Craigieburn blaze was lit just a day after Victoria police announced a string of bikie gang arrests and said their investigation of the spate of arson attacks had “turned the corner” as organised criminal gangs battle for control of the lucrative market.
Police said the fire was suspicious and that there were “reports of multiple explosions” at the scene on the corner of Smeaton Court and Bridgewater Road.
Fourteen emergency service vehicles attended the fire after multiple calls to triple zero in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Police were investigating whether the Craigieburn fire was linked to other recent arson attacks – Taskforce Lunar, which is targeting the illicit tobacco trade, has 28 active arson investigations.
A Fire Rescue Victoria spokesperson said firefighters arrived at the scene to find the shop “with fire through the roof and involving fireworks”.
“Houses to the north of the fire were under ember attack, with the roof of a neighbouring house catching fire,” the spokesperson said.
“Crews attempting to extinguish the fire in the shop came under attack from fireworks.”
On Saturday, Victoria police announced they had arrested four men and a boy – allegedly connected to the Finks motorcycle gang – after four tobacco stores and a cafe were torched between Christmas Day and Friday. The offenders allegedly forced entry to the shops before setting them on fire.
“The current conflict includes both the physical placement of illicit tobacco into stores, as well as demands for stores to sell the syndicate’s illicit product and to pay a ‘tax’ per week to operate,” police said in a statement.
“Police believe the syndicates are comprised of personnel from Middle Eastern organised crime groups and outlaw motorcycle gangs, who are then engaging local networked youth.”
Detective inspector Graham Banks said police were following up intelligence and expected to make more arrests soon.
“It will be an ongoing issue for several months but we’re certainly turning the corner … But it’s not an issue that’s going to stop overnight,” he said.
On Sunday, the government announced $188.5m over four years for Australian Border Force to disrupt the illegal tobacco trade.
The ABF will work with international partners to “target and disrupt illicit tobacco in source and transit countries before it reaches the Australian border”, and will use artificial intelligence to better detect imports at the border”, it said in a statement.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said it would send “a clear message to the crooks and syndicates that dealing in illegal tobacco is a serious tax crime”.
“Illegal tobacco is more than a problem for the budget, it’s a health challenge and it’s a challenge to our border security,” he said.
Health minister Mark Butler said reducing the availability of illicit tobacco was “critical to tobacco control”.
“We know that the main driver that reduces illicit [tobacco] is the same one that reduces licit tobacco – declining consumption,” he said.
“We cannot stand by and allow another generation of people to be lured into addiction and suffer the enormous health, economic and social consequences.”
( theguardian )
