Melbourne Pubs and Clubs Targeted in String of Attacks, Threatening Messages Received

Drive-by shootings, kidnappings and acts of arson.

Since early April, almost 20 of these attacks have been committed against Melbourne pubs and clubs.

Now threatening messages have further stoked fear within the industry.

Fear of being next has kept Melbourne strip club owner Michael Trimble silent until now. He told 7.30 he could no longer sit back and watch the city become a "war zone".

"Everyone is hoping that they're not going to be next. Obviously, it's a concern for us, but we can't just hide," Mr Trimble said.

"It's relentless every day. It's hard to feel like you're living in a prosperous first-world city when you're turning on the news every day and seeing these kinds of incidents just happening all the time.

"I don't know how much worse it has to get before we start taking drastic measures."

Mr Trimble is co-owner of Bar 20, located on King Street in the heart of Melbourne's CBD and across the road from the scene of the latest alleged incident.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, emergency services were called to a suspicious fire at La Di Da nightclub.

The venue is located on the corner of King and Little Bourke streets.

"It's definitely creating some anxiety for sure. My staff are worried."

All options on the table for police

Last week, Victoria Police launched Operation Eclipse, tasked with uncovering the organised crime syndicates they allege may be behind the attacks.

Police said they were open to a "range of possibilities" as to motive, including the illegal alcohol trade and drug dealing.

"That's the million-dollar question, I suppose that we'd answered and go back to," Detective Inspector Jason Kelly said.

"We'd asked for information, but everything is on the table, whether it's conflict within the industry, whether it's illicit alcohol, whether it's stand-over, extortion activities, competitors, nothing is ruled out yet."

Illicit alcohol generally means alcoholic drinks produced, distributed or sold illegally, bypassing government taxes.

This includes so-called bootleg liquor: low-quality, diluted spirits sold through the black market, which, in some cases, can cause serious health risks.

Police also believe an organised crime syndicate is recruiting young offenders via the encrypted messaging app Signal, to carry out the attacks by offering them cash to destroy a business.

"Our experiences suggest 'don't rule that out', and that will be one of the complexities of this investigation."

Mr Trimble said he found it "difficult to believe" that the targeted incidents were related to illicit alcohol sales.

"We're trying to make sense of what is happening. Is there any kind of pattern? Is there anything that links all these venues up?" Mr Trimble told 7.30.

Messages from 'The Cartel'

Late last week, he was among multiple bar owners who received a threatening text message via WhatsApp.

The message, sent from a number listed as 'The Cartel' and seen by 7.30, reads:

"Hello

If you got this message

Were [sic] after you, your family, your businesses, homes and souls.

We will take it by force if you don't comply the police can't help you its inevitable we won't stop till we get what we want.

Thank you"

At the time, Mr Trimble wasn't sure whether to panic or dismiss the message.

"It wasn't like an instant panic. I just looked at it, and I guess I just tried to assess. I had a quick chat with my head of security on that night, sort of thought I could potentially just be nonsense.

"I guess we're so desensitised to all this madness now living here in Victoria, it's just like another day of life in Melbourne."

It's not just bars and restaurants that have been attacked.

On April 23, alcohol company 80 Proof was destroyed in an arson attack, causing $4.5 million of damage.

And with the spate of attacks continuing, both police and those in the industry are concerned that innocent people could be caught in the crossfire.

"I acknowledge that this would be concerning for the community," Detective Inspector Kelly told 7.30.

"But I encourage people to go about their lives as they would, but be alert and contact triple zero if you're concerned."

That concern is real, just a few streets away from Bar 20, where Josh Collins owns a cocktail bar. His venue has not been targeted, but he and his workers are worried.

"We're nervous," Mr Collins told 7.30.

"You could see the same happening with tobacco businesses where there's obviously some kind of backside war going on that we don't know anything about.

"As a hospitality venue, I feel I'm very much in the forefront (and) could potentially be a target for this."

Unlike Mr Trimble, he has not received a threatening message, but was shocked when shown it, enough to say that sort of threat may see him leave the industry.

"That's terrifying," he said.