Fears tobacco wars spreading to new state
WA Police are investigating after five businesses across the metro area were shot at and fire bombed between Saturday and Monday.
Commissioner Col Blanch told 6PR the crew behind the targeted attacks were from the east coast and people were being contracted through the dark web to conduct the shootings and fire bombings. Police Commissioner Col Blanch said eastern state crime gangs were behind fire bombings and shootings that targeted tobacco stores across Perth. NewsWire Credit: NewsWire
'Often they don't know each other,' he said.
'One of the challenges for policing that's been in organised crime for a little while now is encrypted (and anonymous) applications and Bitcoin payments.'
The commissioner said organised crime gangs from the eastern states were replicating what they have done in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and were trying to dominate the illicit tobacco market by using shooting and firebomb tactics.
'It's simply not going to be tolerated by us,' he said.
'We've been kicking doors in since we saw three attacks between the 9th and the 11th of August.' A Cannington tobacco shop in Perth's southeast, was hit with bullets twice across the weekend. 9News Credit: Channel 9
The commissioner said the nation was experiencing a new wave of organised crime through tobacco sales and new legal strategies were needed to prevent sales from happening.
'They're not allowed to do it today, but I think the penalties and the consequences of doing it need to be far greater, because at the moment it's quite a lucrative business where these shops can earn thousands and thousands and thousand of dollars,' he said.
'A small fine is not really going to be a deterrent.' Police Commissioner Col Blanch said eastern state crime gangs replicated the same violent tactics they used on the East Coast in Perth to dominate the illicit tobacco trade. NewsWire / Valeriu Campan Credit: News Corp Australia
The commissioner said governments around the nation were having the conversation and draft bills were being introduced.
'There has to be severe consequences for those shops that think it's okay to sell illicit tobacco,' Mr Blanch said.
'But then there are those people who want to stand over and extort shop owners because they are doing that.
'That creates violence … for the surrounding retailers who are doing the right thing and that's just not acceptable in WA.'
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