Huntingdale tobacco shop destroyed by fire overnight
As the tobacco wars continue to escalate in Perth, another store was destroyed by fire overnight.
Ashtar WA in Huntingdale was destroyed by fire at around 3am on Wednesday, with arson squad detectives arriving at the scene later in the morning to investigate the suspicious fire.
Many shops within the Huntingdale shopping center in Pipit Close were cordoned off and power to the complex was cut; This included the nearby IGA, which was forced to temporarily close its doors to customers.
Police are also investigating whether a car burning at the intersection of Swamp Road and Commercial Road in Forrestdale a short time later is linked to a suspected arson attack.
It is the second time in six months that the Ashtar WA store has been targeted by arsonists.
In August, The criminals forced their way into the store around 2 a.m. and set the store on fire.
This was part of a series of tobacco war-related attacks carried out several days apart; At the time, WA Police were labeling the crimes as “extortion, arson, driving while armed, straight out of the organized crime playbook”.
No one has been convicted since the first incident related to Western Australia’s tobacco war in Midland in October 2024, but six people have been arrested so far and these cases are continuing in the courts.
Most of the targeted stores are reopening and continuing to trade.
WA only needs to look east to see how other states are addressing and eliminating similar crimes.
While New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland have “shutdown” laws that allow for the closure of convenience stores selling illegal tobacco products, WA has no such law.
And while Victoria now faces fines of up to $1.7 million and/or 15 years in prison for those involved in the trade, WA’s fines are a fraction of that.
Adding to this challenge is the public’s clear support for cheaper cigarettes and e-cigarettes.
The price of a 20 pack of legitimate cigarettes ranges from $37 to $62 due to federal government policy that continues to increase the rate of tobacco consumption in an effort to encourage smokers to quit.
But now illegally imported cigarettes are sold all over the city for as little as $15 per pack. Illegal e-cigarettes set smokers back more, but last much longer.
The WA Department of Health’s latest annual report revealed smoking rates in the state have risen to 12 per cent of the population in the past two years.
