Police probe link between Fadi Haddara shooting and Tassie tobacco operation

Read the original at The Sydney Morning Herald ↗
Cite

Vedelago, C., & McMillan, I. (2026, August 26). Police probe link between Fadi Haddara shooting and Tassie tobacco operation. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/police-probe-link-between-fadi-haddara-shooting-and-tassie-tobacco-operation-20260826-p60rsz.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Sydney Morning Herald · collected 2026-08-26 · by Chris Vedelago, Isabel McMillan

Quick Summary

Police are investigating whether the shooting of Fadi Haddara is linked to his alleged involvement in a multimillion-dollar tobacco and money laundering operation in Tasmania. The incident on August 16 left Haddara with a bullet lodged near his jawline, but he has since been released from hospital and is recovering. Two sources identified the latest victim as a 37-year-old associate of Haddara, who was shot outside a property in Heidelberg West on Wednesday afternoon. The Commission, a transnational crime gang established by Kazem "Kaz" Hamad, is suspected to be behind the attacks, which may signal a renewal of hostilities in Melbourne's tobacco wars.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-08-26, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Fadi Haddara, a 37-year-old crime figure, was shot in Altona North on August 16 and nearly killed. He has since been released from hospital but still has a bullet lodged near his jawline. Police are investigating whether the shooting is linked to Haddara's alleged involvement in a $multi-million dollar tobacco and money laundering operation in Tasmania. A week after Haddara was shot, another known associate was shot in the arm while sitting in a cafe in Altona North. Just days later, a third victim was shot outside a property on Malacca Street in Heidelberg West, leaving him with serious injuries. The attacks are believed to be linked to the transnational crime gang The Commission, also known as the 313, which has been involved in firebombings and shootings in Melbourne's tobacco wars.

Written for “Tasmania Tobacco Bust Shooting” on 2026-10-16, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Tasmania Tobacco Bust Shooting
Crime & Law · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

Nothing to compare against. No article is close enough to this one for the pipeline to have linked or judged the pair.
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
22
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
9%
2 of 22 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
61/100
The Sydney Morning Herald's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-08-26 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Sydney Morning Herald · 3881 article(s) · 10 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 10 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Chris Vedelago
3 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The order, which was served on Tuesday, comes as the Royal Commission into the Integrity of Major Public and Civil Infrastructure Construction Projects is set to begin on Wednesday.
🔮 “The exact circumstances surrounding the shooting are still being determined,” the force’s statement said. “However, police believe the victim may have been involved in a confrontation with the offender or offenders in the reserve car park shortly before it occurred.”
🔮 Friends couldn’t believe it,” an associate said.
Also by Chris Vedelago
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
Isabel McMillan
10 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 But while the quake may have been short-lived, Seismology Research Centre chief scientist Adam Pascale said people close to the epicentre of the recent quakes should prepare for the increasing possibility of another.
🔮 “I could see the fire rising,” he told the ABC.
🔮 The wet weather is expected to continue across the weekend, with experts predicting more than 100 millimetres of rain in some parts of the state over the next few days before conditions ease on Sunday.
🔮 We will be investigating whether fatigue or distraction, or speed’s involved,” he said.
🔮 “However, applying learnings from the program could make the Violence Reduction Unit more effective.”
🔮 A man who allegedly threw a plate of nachos at a woman and child at the MCG on Saturday night is expected to be charged with assault, police say.
🔮 The victim is in hospital, recovering, receiving treatment, and speaking with us, but it very easily could have been a lot more serious.”
🔮 Friends couldn’t believe it,” an associate said.
Also by Isabel McMillan
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 10 articles by Isabel McMillan →

Topics

Heidelberg West Melbourne Tasmania The Commission Victoria

Subjects

Haddara PERSON · 6× Melbourne GPE · 5× Tasmania GPE · 3× The Commission ORG · 3× Hamad PERSON · 2× Heidelberg West GPE · 2× Hoppers Crossing GPE · 2× Iraq GPE · 2× Tasmanian NORP · 2× Victoria GPE · 2×

Narrative

Two sources, who have knowledge of the incident but spoke anonymously for their safety, identified the 37-year-old as an associate of the Haddara patriarch. Organised crime gang The Commission is the prime suspect behind the attacks, which signals a renewal of the hostilities that first ignited Melbourne’s tobacco wars. The Commission, also known as the 313, is the transnational crime gang established by exiled gangland boss Kazem “Kaz” Hamad in early 2023 that has created a nationwide illicit tobacco cartel after waging a campaign of firebombings and shootings.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-08-26
🔮 Friends couldn’t believe it,” an associate said.
2026-08-26 · The Sydney Morning Herald
Police probe link between Fadi Haddara shooting and Tassie tobacco operation · assertive framing

Claims (22 extracted, 2 hedged)

Police are investigating if the near-fatal shooting of crime figure Fadi Haddara is linked to his crime network’s alleged involvement in a multimillion-dollar tobacco and money laundering operation in Tasmania. asserted
shooting → investigate → Tasmania
Haddara’s targeting by a hit team was the first of three shootings targeting associates, the latest on Wednesday when a 37-year-old man was shot on a property in broad daylight in Heidelberg West. asserted
man → target → West
Haddara himself was nearly killed after being gunned down in the driveway of his family home in Altona North on August 16. asserted
Haddara → kill → August
He was released from hospital this week, but doctors are waiting to attempt to remove one bullet still lodged near his jawline. asserted
doctors → release → jawline
“He’s up walking around, speaking properly. asserted
He → ’ → ?
Friends couldn’t believe it,” an associate said. asserted
associate → believe → it
A week after the failed hit, a known Haddara associate was shot in the arm while sitting in a cafe in Altona North’s Borrack Square commonly frequented by figures linked to the clan. asserted
associate → fail → clan
On Wednesday afternoon, Victoria Police said a victim had been left suffering from serious injuries after being shot outside a property on Malacca Street in Heidelberg West. asserted
victim → say → West
A spokesperson said the unknown offenders fled in a car, and the incident is being treated as targeted. asserted
incident → say → car
Two sources, who have knowledge of the incident but spoke anonymously for their safety, identified the 37-year-old as an associate of the Haddara patriarch. Organised crime gang The Commission is the prime suspect behind the attacks, which signals a renewal of the hostilities that first ignited Melbourne’s tobacco wars. The Commission, also known as the 313, is the transnational crime gang established by exiled gangland boss Kazem “Kaz” Hamad in early 2023 that has created a nationwide illicit tobacco cartel after waging a campaign of firebombings and shootings. asserted
that → have → firebombings
They had reached an uneasy truce with Haddara who had stepped back from active involvement in the family’s activities after he “surrendered” to Hamad in early 2024 in exchange for an end to a campaign of fire bombings targeting family businesses and a $1 million hit contract put on his head. asserted
he → reach → head
However, there have been a number of branches of the extended Haddara family that have allegedly continued to operate in the illicit tobacco market. uncertain
that → continue → market
Some even switched sides and were absorbed into The Commission. asserted
Some → switch → Commission
The shootings started just days after the federal and state Joint Organised Crime Taskforce took down a money-laundering syndicate operating between Tasmania and Victoria. asserted
Taskforce → start → Tasmania
“It is alleged they facilitated the movement of criminal proceeds in cash from Tasmania and Victoria using hire cars and a commercial passenger and freight vessel,” the Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force and Tasmanian and Victorian police announced. asserted
Police → allege → cars
The operation on August 12 uncovered more than $2.5 million worth of tobacco, over $1 million in cash and $34,000 in silver and gold in raids in Melbourne and near Hobart and Devonport. asserted
operation → uncover → Hobart
A 33-year-old from Hoppers Crossing and a 22-year-old Tasmanian, arrested in Melbourne, have been charged with knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime and recklessly dealing with proceeds of crime. asserted
old → arrest → crime
A 37-year-old from Hoppers Crossing is expected to be charged on summons. asserted
old → expect → summons
Following Hamad’s arrest in Iraq in January, it is alleged the operation has been taken over by a 23-year-old associate based in Iraq, Ali al-Huseini. asserted
operation → follow → Iraq
Police suspect he is responsible for orchestrating an unprecedented spate of violence targeting Melbourne’s nightlife scene earlier this year. asserted
he → suspect → scene
The Commission has been warning that it will tolerate no rivals in Melbourne’s illicit tobacco market, running a sustained extortion campaign against cigarette retailers. asserted
it → warn → retailers
It has also been allegedly warning underworld competitors to acknowledge its authority, and in some cases, pay a “tax” to operate. uncertain
It → warn → tax
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