ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Convicted drug trafficker Kazem Hamad, a central figure in Melbourne’s tobacco wars, was handed a life sentence in Iraq for drug trafficking and involvement in organized crime, following a coordinated effort between Baghdad and Canberra, Iraq’s judiciary said Monday.

In a statement, the judiciary called the suspect “one of the most wanted individuals by Iraqi and international courts,” for smuggling large quantities of narcotics, namely heroin, into both countries.

It also accused him of being involved with “transnational organized crime gangs implicated in drug trafficking, money laundering, murder, kidnapping, extortion, and organized violence.”

Hamad was a key player in Melbourne’s “tobacco wars,” which saw crime syndicates fight over control of the illicit tobacco and vape market. The conflict had over 200 arson attacks, firebombings, and extortion. 

He was deported from Australia in 2023 and later arrested in Iraq in January earlier this year, where he was charged with, among other things, smuggling narcotics into both countries.

At the time, Iraq’s top court said he is “responsible for shootings, murders, kidnappings, violent assaults, extortion, and drug imports,” adding, “he is involved with outlaw gangs that have extensive influence within Australia and the Middle East.” 

In February, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said it was “supporting this independent Iraqi investigation and is providing relevant operational information that relates to crimes the AFP believes Hamad or his syndicate have committed or directed in Australia.”

“While the Iraqi investigation continues, the AFP remains committed to Operation Carmen, our investigation into Hamad and his syndicate,” AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said.

Senior police officials also confirmed that he was being investigated for taking part in a firebombing targeting the Adass Israel synagogue in December, 2024, Australia’s public broadcaster ABC News reported.

Despite imposing severe penalties, Iraq continues to face an escalating drug problem that has intensified since the US invasion in 2003. Iraq's stringent narcotics laws, which impose death or life sentences for drug-related offenses, are a response to the severity of the crisis but have yet to curb the increasing drug use and trafficking fully.

Iraq was ranked third globally in combating narcotics at the World Police Summit in the UAE, and authorities say thousands of suspects have been arrested and handed heavy sentences as part of the crackdown.