Police have charged an 18-year-old Perth man over allegedly orchestrating firebombings and a protection racket targeting illicit tobacco stores while he was overseas in Iraq.
Serious and Organised Crime Division detective arrested the Dianella man on September 16 upon his return to Australia following a string of alleged targeted attacks.
WA Police allege the man orchestrated targeted attacks on a number of illicit tobacco stores and received payments from retail stores in exchange for protection.
He’s accused of engaging an associate to firebomb the tobacconist on Settlers Avenue in Baldivis on on December 1, and recuiting two other people to deliberately target the same business with arson on On December 22.
Three people involved in the Baldivis attacks have already been charged and convicted over the incident.
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The 18-year-old has been charged with three counts of threat with intent to gain a benefit, two counts of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, and one count of criminal damage by fire.
He also faces two counts of receiving and one count of selling a prohibited drug and was due to face Perth Magistrates Court on Thursday.