source : the age
Chatting in a Mercedes-Benz has led to the downfall of one of the top-ranked lieutenants of the organised crime syndicate The Commission, who has been jailed for orchestrating a series of firebombings at the height of the tobacco war in 2023.
Majid Alibadi, who was once infamously picked up from remand by a Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini sent by kingpin Kazem “Kaz” Hamad, has been convicted of staging a string of arson attacks against the interests of rival gangland boss Fadi Haddara on behalf of the Hamad in late 2023.
The case against the now 27-year-old hinged on conversations captured on a listening device and GPS surveillance of his car which captured Alibadi in a series of incriminating conversations with syndicate bosses and soldiers.
This included regular conversations with Hamad while he was in Iraq and his brother, Maytham, who was allegedly one of the top onshore bosses of The Commission based in Western Australia.
The prosecution labelled Alibadi as “upper-level middle man” in the Hamad syndicate.
“Alibadi has a positive working relationship with both Kazem Hamad and Maytham Hamad, especially Maytham, who he regularly converses on a wide range of topics, including laughing together, whilst watching videos of fires and premises associated with the Haddara family,” prosecutor Deanna Caruso told the court.
“Kazem Hamad referred to Mr Alibadi as a leader and expected him to behave as such.
“Alibadi is involved in the operational planning of tasks provided by the Hamad syndicate and in engaging the persons commissioned to complete those tasks.”
The court heard this included directing unknown offenders to torch the Haddara gang’s prized restaurant, Karizma in Docklands, on two occasions in November 2023, as well as a function centre linked to the family in Tullamarine.
Alibadi was following orders to hit Karizma for a second time to ensure it was destroyed because “Maytham doesn’t want it to be open on Christmas”.
Alibadi pleaded guilty to incitement to arson, arson and two counts of theft of a motor vehicle.
At the time of the fires, Hamad had been waging a war of attrition against Haddara’s gang for control of the lucrative illicit tobacco market, which included dozens of firebombings targeting their shops and legitimate businesses.
Haddara “surrendered” to Hamad in February 2024 after discovering trackers on his vehicle. He allegedly paid a $1 million fee and handed over his stake in blackmarket tobacco to be left alone.
The 48-year-old was shot last month by an unidentified gunman that police suspect is connected to The Commission following renewed competition in the illicit tobacco game.
The bugging operation that led to Alibadi’s downfall was run by the Lunar Taskforce, which had been formed in October 2023 to investigate the Hamad syndicate as it was staging an ultra-violent takeover of the illicit tobacco market.
Before his arrest in late 2024, Alibadi had been living the high life while working for Hamad, including taking first-class trips to see syndicate bosses in Dubai and Iraq and spending big at restaurants and luxury retailers in Crown Casino.
Last week when he went into custody at the end of his plea hearing, Alibadi was wearing a Dolce & Gabba jumper with an estimated price tag of $2000 along with black jeans and white sneakers.
“I believe Nobu is a favourite. When he was in custody and offered a meal, he asked if Nobu was available,” Detective Leading Senior Constable Matthew Lindsay told a bail hearing in 2024.
Alibadi also had a reckless sense of humour, acquiring a custom licence plate with the initials “MEOC”, a police term which stands for “Middle Eastern Organised Crime” figure.
“He was advised by an associate that he should get rid of it,” Lindsay told a court. “He thought it quite a funny, I suppose, trophy to have in his possession, and indicated he wanted to retain possession of it.”
The court heard that Alibadi will have a particular hard time in custody, with his well-known connection to Hamad and The Commission – also known as the 313 – meaning he will have to serve his sentence in a 23-hour-a-day locked down “separation” unit in prison.
Barrister Dermott Dann, KC, told the court his client had reformed, leaving behind a life of crime and drugs.
Judge Duncan Allen said the pre-sentence report he had received from Corrections Victoria about Alibadi was “one of the most favourable I’ve read”.
The court heard that Alibadi had been a long-time associate of the Hamad family, with their families sharing a home when the Alibadis fled to Australia from Iraq as refugees. The families came from the same village in southern Iraq.
“So my instructions are that communication has come to an end,” Dann told the court.
Alibadi received a five-year-and-six-month jail sentence with a non-parole term of three years.
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