Jaum was a male gangster who was active during the Galactic Civil War. He had taken over the Outer Rim planet of Andelm IV, enslaving its inhabitants so they would mine Andelm beetles for him. Those creatures contained substances that could power blasters, and Jaum sold those rare resources to the Galactic Empire. The crime lord's dominion over Andelm IV faced little opposition until a young human girl named Zarro escaped the beetle caverns and enlisted the help of the Wookiee warrior Chewbacca.