Kazem Hamad, a former Melbourne organised crime kingpin deported from Australia in 2023, has been sentenced to life in a Baghdad prison for drug trafficking by Iraqi authorities following an international investigation.
Also known as Kadhim Malik Hamad Rabah al-Hajami or by his nickname “Kaz”, Hamad was convicted of drug trafficking offences following close cooperation between Iraqi and Australian authorities.
Iraq’s National Center for International Judicial Cooperation announced the ruling from the Karkh Criminal Court. The judicial body stated that the convict was one of the most wanted individuals by Iraqi and international judiciaries.
Transnational Criminal Enterprise and Drug Smuggling Charges
According to Iraqi judicial statements, Hamad directed large-scale narcotics operations reaching across international borders. The National Center for International Judicial Cooperation noted that he was responsible for importing large quantities of narcotics into Iraq and Australia, smuggling heroin, and maintaining ties to transnational criminal networks involved in money laundering, murder, kidnapping, extortion, and organised violence.
When Iraqi authorities announced his initial arrest in January, Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council declared him one of the most dangerous men in the world. Investigators asserted that his syndicate operated extensively within Australia, driving violent turf wars and criminal enterprises.
Melbourne Tobacco Wars and Australian Law Enforcement Operation Carmen
Before his deportation from Australia in 2023 after serving a prison term for drug offenses, Hamad emerged as a central figure in Melbourne’s violent illicit tobacco market conflicts. Victorian police intelligence reports indicated he orchestrated a series of firebombings targeting rival shops and owners who refused to pay exorbitant extortion fees, which investigators referred to as the Kaz tax
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The Australian Federal Police targeted Hamad through Operation Carmen. In late 2025, Australian investigators provided critical operational intelligence to law enforcement officials in Iraq, which led to Hamad’s arrest in January. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett previously designated him as the agency’s number one target.
“I want every offender connected to Hamad or his syndicate to look long and hard at this photo. And I want to be very clear — just because Hamad is in custody, the AFP’s job is not done.”
Commissioner Krissy Barrett, Australian Federal Police
Links to High-Profile Arson Attacks and Geopolitical Proxies
Beyond the tobacco wars, Australian authorities and intelligence officials have connected Hamad to major violent incidents across multiple states. Law enforcement files identify him as a person of interest in the firebombing of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne in December 2024, alongside attacks on other commercial sites including a Sydney kosher cafe.
Investigations revealed that Hamad and his cousin, Ahmed Al Hamza, formed an alliance with elements of the Iranian government to manage the criminal 313 gang from the Middle East. ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess confirmed that a former Australian resident living in Iraq directed the attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, noting that Iran recruited him via Iraqi-based militias while protecting his illicit enterprises due to his substantial wealth.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke emphasized the reach of Australian and international operations against offshore targets during an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“He thought he was offshore, he was out of reach … well he wasn’t. We are talking about someone at the apex of a criminal network. For a whole process of organised crime in Australia road after road after road has continued to lead back to one individual.”
Tony Burke, Home Affairs Minister
Underworld Power Vacuums and Ongoing Police Investigations
Rohan Pike, a former Federal Police officer and illicit tobacco expert, noted that even if you arrest a few at the top, some will step up and take their place, pointing out that hundreds of associates remain tied to the syndicate’s operational structure.
Australian Federal Police stated that they were formally notified of the Baghdad court verdict by the National Center for International Judicial Cooperation and will release further operational comments at an appropriate time. Meanwhile, Victorian authorities acknowledge the sentencing decision while local police inquiries into the broader narcotics and arson networks continue.