Updated July 14, 2026 — 3:26pm,first published 10:53amA senior member of the organised crime gang known as “The Commission” has been arrested, accused of being “front and centre” of the so-called tobacco and bar wars that have terrorised Melbourne for three years.The major breakthrough comes as one of the state’s top organised crime detectives revealed who has been pulling the strings since the arrest of crime boss Kazem “Kaz” Hamad and called for a review of Australia’s historic refusal to provide information that could lead to the execution of criminals overseas as a way to fight the criminal gang.Bar Bambi in the hours after an arson attack on April 25.Penny StephensThe Commission, formed by exiled gangland boss Hamad from a safe haven in Iraq, is the dominant force controlling Australia’s multibillion-dollar illicit tobacco market and large-scale drug importations.Hamad, who was arrested in Iraq by local authorities in January, has also allegedly been tied to the Adass Israel Synagogue terrorist attack in December 2024, which was ordered by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, now listed in Australia as a terrorist organisation.Hamad’s gang, also known as the 313, has been linked to dozens of other violent attacks, including shootings and murders.At a press conference on Tuesday, Operation Eclipse Detective Inspector Graham Banks announced detectives had arrested a 20-year-old Essendon man in what he said was “the most consequential arrest” since the start of the tobacco wars in 2023.“[This is] a person who we think has been right at the front and centre of tasking out so many serious crimes,” Banks said.“[He describes] himself as just an ordinary kid who goes to the gym and runs an empire from his home.”Police said the offending the man is currently being questioned over is the “tip of the iceberg”.“Despite his relatively young age, the intelligence suggests he is a very significant part of the organised crime group,” Banks said.A new leader of Kaz Hamad’s crime gang has emerged following his arrest in Iraq.AFPAs previously revealed by The Age, Banks said the leadership of the 313 gang was located in the Middle East, and following Hamad’s arrest centred around a 23-year-old man who was wanted by police on a 2022 warrant for the attempted murder of Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim.Five police and underworld sources have confirmed the man’s identity as Ali al-Huseini – one of two gunmen who ambushed Abdulrahim outside Fawkner cemetery and shot him eight times.Huseini fled to Iraq less than a day after the shooting, which Abdulrahim survived. Since 2022, he has remained a trusted associate of Hamad and Ahmed al-Hamza, Hamad’s cousin and second-in-command. Hamza was arrested in Qatar last year in circumstances that remain unclear.The police and underworld sources said Huseini had shot and killed his co-offender in the attempted hit on Abdulrahim rather than allow him to return to Australia and be arrested.Federal and state prosecutors, and the federal attorney-general, have refused to send prosecution briefs overseas for fear the alleged offenders could be executed by local authorities, four police and legal sources speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters told The Age.“For other law enforcement agencies across other jurisdictions to take a serious interest and to invest the time that we would like to see them [put in], they have to have an understanding of what those persons are doing.“When you’ve got serious actors doing [what the gang is orchestrating] I think there should be a free flow of information,” Banks said.Police intelligence suggests that The Commission has at least 2000 recruits at its disposal to carry out attacks.Since Hamad’s arrest, Huseini is alleged by police to have been the prime mover in the resumption of violence in the tobacco market and more than 40 attacks waged against bar and nightclub owners and promoters since March.While more than 65 people have been arrested over those arsons, shootings and kidnappings, the use of encrypted technology had frustrated attempts to penetrate the top ranks of the gang.The majority of those charged have been teenagers. Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said in May many of the teens recruited had no links to crime before carrying out the attacks.Police suspect the 20-year-old arrested on Tuesday used encrypted messaging apps to organise the attacks using different handles. Banks said he most recently used the handle “Combank”, believed to be a reference to the amount of money he was making for the gang.He was apprehended by Armed Crime Squad detectives at about 8.30am at an Essendon home over a mistaken identity kidnapping in Malvern, an attempted aggravated home invasion in Doncaster, and an attempted arson at Left Bank restaurant in Southbank.“It’s a methodology we have seen play out previously over a number of years, organised crime tasking of offenders to commit intimidatory tactics. We saw this through Taskforce Lunar and fully understand the complexities around investigating and disrupting this serious offending,” Banks said.Between February and May this year, more than 30 firebombings, shootings, home invasions and kidnappings took place as part of the crime spree.Venues across the CBD, South Yarra and Prahran went up in flames, with the spate of violence raising questions about the long-term viability of the Melbourne industry.The government and law enforcement authorities have come in for significant criticism in the past for providing information that has led to Australians being arrested, jailed and even executed overseas for drug offending, such as in the case of the Bali Nine.Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app.Carla Jaeger is a journalist for The Age. Got a tip? 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