Illicit tobacco traffickers have used the court appeal of kingpins Dib and Hassan Barakat to win sentences averaging just 10 months, the Herald Sun can reveal. A total of 18 criminals, who have smuggled in almost 19 million cigarettes and avoided paying nearly $22 million in tax and duties, have cited the Barakat brothers’ punishment in their own cases in a bid to plead for leniency. The western suburbs fruit and vegetable wholesalers were recently revealed by the Herald Sun as major players in Victoria’s tobacco war, with police intelligence reports suggesting they are the main rival to Fadi Haddara’s illegal empire.
Hassan and Dib Barakat are considered big players in Victoria's tobacco war. Police reports suggest the Barakat brothers are the main rivals to Fadi Haddara’s illegal empire. There have been at least 110 firebombings since March last year as criminals fight for control of the lucrative market.
The Barakat brothers were sentenced in November 2019 for bringing in 8,480,000 cigarettes and avoiding paying $3,967,334 in tax. Hassan was deemed to be orchestrating the scheme and received a minimum two years and six months in prison, while Dib got 10 months. However, they both appealed months later and had their sentences slashed to two years and eight months respectively.
The maximum punishment is 10 years in prison. Now 18 criminals have used that July 2021 appeal to their own advantage. The maximum sentence dished out was two years and six months in prison, b.
