Kazem Hamad rose rapidly to become one of the nation’s most powerful organised crime players. The syndicate he is accused of heading waged a relentless turf war for control of Australia’s multibillion-dollar illicit tobacco trade, which has seen firebombings around the country. But Hamad’s arrest last week was unexpected, because it happened not in Australia, but thousands of kilometres away in Iraq. Today, senior reporter Chris Vedelago on the capture of one of Australia’s most wanted accused criminals.

Kazem Hamad rose rapidly to become one of the nation&rsquo;s most powerful organised crime players. The syndicate he is accused of heading waged a relentless turf war for control of Australia&rsquo;s multibillion-dollar illicit tobacco trade, which has seen firebombings around the country. But Hamad&rsquo;s arrest last week was unexpected, because it happened not in Australia, but thousands of kilometres away in Iraq. Today, senior reporter Chris Vedelago on the capture of one of Australia&rsquo;s most wanted accused criminals.

The Morning Edition (formerly Please Explain) brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition (formerly Please Explain) brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The rise and fall of one of Australia’s most powerful criminals

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/b6d1ed05-97ce-49ce-b822-b3d70056bbfb/transcript