Arabic version: محكمة عراقية تحكم بالسجن المؤبد على كاظم حماد

According to ABC News, former Melbourne organised crime kingpin Kazem Hamad has been sentenced to life in prison by Iraq’s Karkh Criminal Court in Baghdad after being convicted of drug trafficking. Hamad, also known as Kadhim Malik Hamad Rabah al-Hajami, was deported from Australia to Iraq in 2023.

Iraq’s National Center for International Judicial Cooperation said Hamad was responsible for importing large quantities of drugs into Iraq and Australia. The body said he was linked to transnational organised crime gangs involved in drug trafficking, money laundering, murder, kidnapping, extortion and organised violence.

Hamad’s arrest in Iraq was announced in January after the Australian Federal Police provided information to local authorities in late 2025 through Operation Carmen. The AFP said Iraqi authorities had informed it that the life sentence had been imposed, while a spokesperson said the agency would provide further comment at an appropriate time.

Hamad has been a key person of interest in firebombings at Victorian tobacco shops and businesses and was alleged to be a key figure in Melbourne’s tobacco wars. Police said in a Victorian court case that they believed he orchestrated firebombing attacks on rivals or shop owners who defied alleged standover men. Victorian authorities acknowledged the reported sentencing decision and directed further enquiries to Iraq’s judicial cooperation centre.

The AFP has said the syndicate linked to Hamad is suspected of operating in five Australian states and one territory. After his January arrest, AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said Hamad had been her “number one target” and said the agency’s work was not finished.