"[This is] a person who we think has been right at the front and centre of tasking out so many serious crimes," Operation Eclipse Detective Inspector Graham Banks said at a press conference on Tuesday.
A senior member of the organised crime gang known as “The Commission” has been arrested, accused of being “front and centre” of the so-called tobacco and bar wars that have terrorised Melbourne for three years. The Commission, formed by exiled gangland boss Kazem “Kaz” Hamad from a safe haven in Iraq, is the dominant force controlling Australia’s multibillion-dollar illicit tobacco market and large-scale drug importations.
Hamad, who was arrested in Iraq by local authorities in January, has also allegedly been tied to the Adass Israel Synagogue terrorist attack in December 2024, which was ordered by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, now listed in Australia as a terrorist organisation.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Operation Eclipse Detective Inspector Graham Banks announced detectives had arrested a 20-year-old Essendon man in what he said was “the most consequential arrest” since the start of the tobacco wars in 2023.
The arrested 20-year-old, who is currently being questioned by police, describes himself as an “ordinary kid who goes to the gym and runs an empire from his home.”
According to police, the young man used encrypted messaging apps to organise the attacks using different handles. His most recent handle was “Combank”, believed to be a reference to the amount of money he was making for the gang.
The Commission has at least 2000 recruits at its disposal to carry out attacks. Since Hamad’s arrest, Huseini is alleged by police to have been the prime mover in the resumption of violence in the tobacco market and more than 40 attacks waged against bar and nightclub owners and promoters since March.
The arrested 20-year-old was apprehended by Armed Crime Squad detectives at about 8.30am at an Essendon home over a mistaken identity kidnapping in Malvern, an attempted aggravated home invasion in Doncaster, and an attempted arson at Left Bank restaurant in Southbank.
“Despite his relatively young age, the intelligence suggests he is a very significant part of the organised crime group,” Banks said.
Banks called for a review of Australia’s historic refusal to provide information that could lead to the execution of criminals overseas as a way to fight the criminal gang.
He said when serious actors like The Commission are doing what they are, “I think there should be a free flow of information.”
Police intelligence suggests that The Commission has at least 2000 recruits at its disposal to carry out attacks.
While more than 65 people have been arrested over those arsons, shootings, and kidnappings, the use of encrypted technology had frustrated attempts to penetrate the top ranks of the gang. The majority of those charged have been teenagers.
The arrested 20-year-old is currently being questioned over the “tip of the iceberg,” according to police.
Police suspect he used encrypted messaging apps to organise the attacks using different handles.
The arrested 20-year-old was apprehended by Armed Crime Squad detectives at about 8.30am at an Essendon home over a mistaken identity kidnapping in Malvern, an attempted aggravated home invasion in Doncaster, and an attempted arson at Left Bank restaurant in Southbank.
He describes himself as an “ordinary kid who goes to the gym and runs an empire from his home.”
Police say this is the most consequential arrest since the start of the tobacco wars in 2023.
He used encrypted messaging apps to organise the attacks, with the latest handle being “Combank,” which is believed to refer to the money he made for the gang.