Three shootings and arson in suburban Perth potentially linked to organised crime

A string of shootings and fires targeted at tobacco stores in Perth's suburbs are part of a potential "turf war" racket of "arson and extortion", detectives say.

WA Police detectives are probing three shootings and two fires which occurred over the past three days.

Two of the incidents occurred at the same smoke shop on Cecil Avenue in Cannington, south of Perth, in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Police say the first shooting occurred about 1:10am, when two shots penetrated the store's metal roller shutter and a glass window.

Two off-road motorcycles were observed nearby at the time, which were seen crossing Albany Highway into bushland.

Police received reports of the same store being shot at again the following morning, around 4am, by two people in a black sedan.

A vehicle parked outside the store, which had a 27-year-old security guard inside, was also shot at.

Police say both the building and the car were damaged in the shooting, but the man was unharmed and is assisting with the investigation.

Later on Sunday morning, a pub adjacent to a tobacco store at a shopping complex in Ballajura was targeted in broad daylight about 9am.

Police say gunshots damaged a window and vehicle.

The alleged offenders returned to the same shopping complex on Monday and set fire to another store, just metres away from the pub, according to police.

The same store was targeted by arson attacks on two separate occasions earlier this year in January and July.

In another incident around 2am on Monday, alleged offenders forced their way into another store on Pipit Close in Huntingdale, south of Perth, and set fire to the premises.

Escalation of violence

WA Police Commander Gordon Fairman said he believed all of the incidents were linked.

"Over the last six months there's been an escalation of violence against tobacco businesses in Perth.

"We've seen the level of violence in other jurisdictions and we are throwing everything we have at this investigation to make sure they do not escalate any further in Perth."

'Turf war' targets businesses

Commander Fairman indicated the targeted stores were lawful businesses.

"It appears that arson and extortion are being used to close legitimate businesses — this appears to be part of a turf war," he said.

On Sunday, Acting Superintendent, Eamon Flanagan, said the serious and organised crime division has thrown significant resources at the investigation.

He said there was no evidence to suggest the targeted store owner is involved in the illicit tobacco industry.

"We do have a number of suspects," he said.

The same Cannington smoke shop was the target of another incident about a month ago when a vehicle attempted to ram-raid the premises.

Two people were charged in relation to that incident.

Police Commissioner Col Blanch said detectives were investigating whether these attacks were violent intimidation tactics.

"We have seen over east a number of these incidents occurring where we have seen gunshots fired into premises and arson being committed on stores … we suspect that is a replication of those types of offences," he said.

"We are taking this extremely seriously."

Lucrative market

In Australia about 70 per cent of the price of cigarettes is tax paid to the government. The illicit tobacco trade sells untaxed cigarettes which can be two to three times cheaper.

Authorities have been attempting to tackle the illicit trade, and organised crime related to the trade, across the country — in March the federal government announced additional funding to curb the lucrative market.

According to police there were on average two arson attacks a week in Victoria linked to the black market.

Commander Fairman said there were a series of similar offences in WA last year.

"That resulted in offenders being charged in every instance. It's my hope, and it's my promise, that that's what we'll achieve in this instance here," he said.

"Organised crime are not interested in tobacco. They're interested in money. This is about establishing control of an illicit trade and making millions of dollars."

Gun laws reduce risk: Premier

Premier Roger Cook said the state government's new gun laws, which are in the process of being implemented, would help reduce the risk posed by firearms in the community.

"The ongoing risks associated with gun violence, the only way we can get on top of that is the full implementation of our gun laws," he said.

"They're the biggest reform of Western Australia's gun laws in over two decades."