General News
10 July, 2024
Chopped tobacco seized following Mount Isa arson attack
Two people have been charged as part of a major police operation.
The illegal tobacco war has reached Mount Isa with two men arrested in connection with an alleged arson attack on a local tobacco and vape retail outlet.
Following investigations by Mount Isa Criminal Investigation, a 29-year-old Brisbane man was arrested and charged with one count of arson, possession of a dangerous drug, and possession of a utensil after police executed a search warrant at his Logan home on Thursday.
Police also seized two motorcycles and 105kg of chopped tobacco, which are suspected to be linked to arsons on tobacco retail outlets in New South Wales.
The man faced Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Friday and was released on bail to re-appear in Mount Isa Magistrates Court on July 22.
A 31-year-old Gold Coast man was also arrested in southern Brisbane on Friday and charged with one count of arson.
The arrests were carried out by Branch Taskforce Victor Masher, a specialist Queensland Police Service taskforce targeting organised crime syndicates behind the illicit tobacco trade.
Security video released by police shows two men wearing dark face coverings approach a Mount Isa shopfront at about 2.45am on June 24.
One of the men douses liquid from a jerry can underneath a doorway while the other man, who is clutching a baseball bat, ignites the flammable substance with a cigarette lighter before both men run away.
Police said the business sustained significant fire damage to the front wall and immediate interior. No one was inside at the time of the fire.
The illegal tobacco turf war, suspected to be instigated by international crime syndicates, has seen retailers across the country face “earn or burn” standover tactics, where shop owners are told to either sell illegal products or face their businesses being torched.
There have been dozens of fire-bombings or attempted arson attacks on retailers across the country in recent months.
In response, police and border force officials have seized millions of illegal cigarettes and kilograms of loose-leaf tobacco and made dozens of arrests.
It is unknown how many shops have faced threats from organised crime because, unlike alcohol or lotto ticket retailers, there is no register or licensing regime of tobacco sellers.
The illegal cigarettes sold are usually either legitimate overseas brands, which are imported illicitly, or counterfeit cigarettes packaged to appear legitimate.