Lieutenants scramble to seize control of Kazem Hamad's expanding crime network

Kazem Hamad, deported after a heroin conviction and later identified as a major figure in Australia’s illicit tobacco war, was sentenced to life imprisonment by an Iraqi court in early 2026. Despite his incarceration, the cartel he led—known as The Commission—has continued violent operations, including ram-raids and firebombings of tobacco shops in Mooroopna, Victoria. With Hamad behind bars, his younger brother Maytham Hamad, awaiting trial in Western Australia, and cousin Ahmed Al Hamza, reportedly detained in the Middle East, have emerged as de-facto leaders.

Additional lieutenants such as Majib Alibadi and Ali Al Khafaji are maintaining the syndicate’s grip on the black market, while younger operatives, including a 23-year-old linked to a 2022 assassination attempt and a 20-year-old recruiter Jesse Hadchiti, are coordinating extortion and arson schemes. Recent raids seized large drug caches, a Porsche SUV and firearms, underscoring the group’s expansion into nightlife venues and broader criminal enterprises. Law enforcement hopes the internal power struggle will weaken the organization, but its growing membership suggests new contenders are ready to fill the void.