Exiled gangland boss Kazem Hamad has reportedly been arrested by the Iraqi government on behalf of Australian law enforcement authorities after being labelled “one of the most dangerous wanted men in the world”.
Rumours have been circulating in the underworld for more than 24 hours that the head of Australia’s most powerful illicit tobacco cartel had been detained in his native Iraq, where he had been accused of running a transnational crime empire worth billions of dollars.
Kazem “Kaz” Hamad in 2015.
The Australian Federal Police declined to comment to this masthead on Monday evening.
But a statement from Iraq’s National Center for International Judicial Cooperation, posted online late on Tuesday, said Hamad had been arrested and it was done “in response to an official request from Australia”.
“The accused individual…was arrested in coordination with the General Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Affairs at the Ministry of Interior, after obtaining the necessary approvals from the Supreme Judicial Council to conduct investigations against him. The proceedings were initiated by the First Karkh Investigation Court, which specialises in drug cases,” the statement said, which has been translated from Arabic.
Loading
“The accused is one of the most dangerous wanted men in the world. He is responsible for importing large quantities of drugs into Iraq and Australia, as well as smuggling heroin.
“He is also involved with the most prominent organised crime gangs in Australia – Sydney, responsible for shootings, murders, kidnappings, violent assaults, extortion, and drug imports.
“Furthermore, he is involved with outlaw gangs that have extensive influence within Australia and the Middle East and are responsible for carrying out murders, shootings, money laundering, fraud, assaults, arson, and drug trafficking on a global level,” the statement said.
