‘The Punisher’ targeted in second hit attempt after trying to muscle in on illicit tobacco trade
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Crime

‘The Punisher’ targeted in second hit attempt after trying to muscle in on illicit tobacco trade

The former bikie and professional boxer has played a key role in the revival of the Brothers 4 Life gang to try to gain a slice of the lucrative market.

  • byChris Vedelago,Marta Pascual Juanola,Nick McKenzie andAlex Crowe

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Police warn unis to break up protests as staffer threatens to burn camp
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Education

Police warn unis to break up protests as staffer threatens to burn camp

Victoria Police told universities there is a strong likelihood of violence if they don’t break up pro-Palestine student encampments on their campuses,warning that agitators who are not students are inflaming tensions.

  • bySherryn Groch andChris Vedelago
Police allege private bail program faked GPS tracking for suspected gangland client

Police allege private bail program faked GPS tracking for suspected gangland client

An accused lieutenant in the tobacco wars was released on bail on the condition he wear a tracking bracelet,but police allege it was nothing more than a watch.

  • byChris Vedelago
Nobu,$270k cash and a number plate to taunt police:The high life of tobacco war accused

Nobu,$270k cash and a number plate to taunt police:The high life of tobacco war accused

The flashy life and alleged crimes of an associate of exiled gangland boss Kaz Hamad have been laid bare during an application to revoke his bail.

  • byChris Vedelago
Man killed in drive-by shooting in south-east Melbourne

Man killed in drive-by shooting in south-east Melbourne

The man was found in a vehicle with a gunshot wound about 12.30am Saturday.

  • byNajma Sambul andChris Vedelago
Firebomb thrown at home of Burgertory’s activist founder

Firebomb thrown at home of Burgertory’s activist founder

The Palestinian founder of Burgertory,Hash Tayeh,said his home “became a target of terror” after a Molotov cocktail struck just below his toddler son’s bedroom.

  • byChris Vedelago
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Imported mushrooms may contain deadly bacteria,but they are hardly being screened
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Food safety

Imported mushrooms may contain deadly bacteria,but they are hardly being screened

Mushrooms imported to Australia have been linked to serious and fatal outbreaks of listeria and salmonella,but are going largely unchecked by federal authorities.

  • byChris Vedelago andMarta Pascual Juanola
Mushroom death mystery at wellness seminar triggers police probe
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Crime

Mushroom death mystery at wellness seminar triggers police probe

Police are investigating if psychedelic “magic mushrooms” were used in a drink consumed by a woman who later became unwell and died at a wellness event in Clunes.

  • byChris Vedelago,Marta Pascual Juanola andLachlan Abbott
Melbourne’s ‘prince of pizza’ making dough in Norway after debts and drive-by shootings
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Restaurants

Melbourne’s ‘prince of pizza’ making dough in Norway after debts and drive-by shootings

Woodstock pizza chain founder Tony Cannata abruptly left Melbourne after his business collapsed,owing $8 million,but he’s continued to earn a crust at an exclusive ski resort overseas.

  • byCameron Houston andChris Vedelago
When the head of a crime family found trackers on his car,he knew the game was up
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Crime

When the head of a crime family found trackers on his car,he knew the game was up

A deal has been struck in Melbourne’s long-running tobacco war after rival gangs engaged in a relentless firebombing and extortion campaign across the city.

  • byChris Vedelago andMarta Pascual Juanola
Roads,trains,ports:Major disruption warning ahead of planned pro-Palestine protests

Roads,trains,ports:Major disruption warning ahead of planned pro-Palestine protests

The groups behind Monday’s global A15 Action protests have threatened to blockade “major choke points in the economy”,aiming to cause maximum economic impact.

  • byChris Vedelago andClay Lucas