Iraqi authorities have arrested Kazem Hamad, an exiled underworld figure described as "one of the most dangerous wanted men in the world," in response to an official request from Australia, according to News Corp Australia. Hamad, also known as Kadhim Malik Hamad Rabah al-Hajami, was detained on Tuesday night by Iraq's National Center for International Judicial Cooperation, officials said.
As per the news report, Hamad is suspected of playing a significant role in Melbourne's illicit tobacco trade and organised crime networks after his deportation from Australia in 2023. According to Iraqi authorities, he is believed to have been involved in importing large quantities of drugs into both Iraq and Australia, smuggling heroin, and working with prominent organised crime gangs in Sydney. These groups are reportedly linked to shootings, murders, kidnappings, extortion, violent assaults, money laundering, fraud, arson, and drug trafficking on a global scale.
Australian police previously labelled Hamad a national security threat. During a Senate estimates hearing in 2024, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett cited his alleged links to tobacco-related arson attacks and intelligence linking him to the firebombing of Melbourne's Adass Israel synagogue in December 2024 - an attack reportedly carried out on behalf of the Iranian government.
Hamad had served an eight-year prison term in Australia for his involvement in a drug trafficking ring before being deported back to Iraq. His family had fled Iraq during the first Gulf War and resettled in Australia as refugees in 1998.
Despite his removal from Australia, police believe Hamad continued to exert influence over the city's underworld and its large illegal tobacco market. Sources previously estimated his criminal enterprise could be worth "hundreds of millions."
