In 1999, his son Bassam shot dead a teenager during a night out in Sydney and was himself jailed for 21 years. All products are independently selected, tested or recommended by our team of experts.If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission. A gang boss in Sydneys underworld rarely starts at the top they slowly build their way up from the bottom; starting out networking with other young criminals in juvenile detention centres, then committing small crimes as young adults. In only four Sydney. Three Australian-Lebanese crime families in Sydney the Darwiches, Razzaks, and Fahdas were involved in a series of killings and other violent acts from 2001 to 2009. It ended in 2009, with the death of Abdul Darwiche. RELATED: Manhunt under way after shooting in Sydney suburb. Home. lebanese crime families melbourne. Mafiosi within "Al Cossa Kella" don't share any profit through a communal fund. 943K views 1 year ago Police raid on luxury car firm part of aggressive crackdown on deadly crime family feud; combatants are the Alameddine family and the Hamzy family in Sydney,. In 1994 I was stationed at Redfern. Ibrahim came out and spoke with the heavily-tattooed Haouchar and calmed the situtation, but police eventually arrested and charged the would be intruder. The family name first came onto the radar of police in the mid-1990s, when Khaled was jailed for his role in a drug ring. Lebanese organized crime is active in the country of Lebanon itself, as well as in countries and areas with a large Arab community, most notably United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and in the Triple Frontier in South America. To the streets, thats where., Australian-Lebanese filmmaker George Basha agrees. Sydney Terrorised By Lebanese-Muslim Crime Gangs (Miranda Devine's article from the Sydney Morning Herald on 22 December 2005.) So the problem we have now in Sydney is a ramification of what has been going on in Lebanon.. The angst between the two came to a head in 2013 during the botched shooting on Maha Hamzy, the aunt of Mejid and Bassam. Our contributors include the great investigators Bob Bottom and Al McCoy, and the wonderfully insightful Sydney artist Michael Fitzjames. While you still have the ordinary hooligans that populate the quieter parts of the metropolis (like the Bankstown gangs) most key players in Sydney's gangs have all been funded by foreign criminals. He was stabbed in prison last week. NSW has been the centre of an ongoing task force called Strike Force Taipan, which has made a lot of progress into stopping organised crime funded by international criminals. Sydney's Daily Telegraph recounted the words that one of the 16-year-old victims alleged that the young Lebanese Australian rapist had told her: "You deserve it because you're an Australian" its . In 2013 he was caught on recordings from behind bars vowing to kill Michael and his older brother Sam once he got out of prison. Look what happened in Germany in the 1940s., Selda Dagistanli, a lecturer in criminology at the University of Western Sydney, agrees that, When you attach criminal behavior to ethnicity, thats racist, and it makes you question the motivation of the people saying it., New South WalesPolice Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldas says the problem in Bankstown and other parts of southwestern Sydney is not as bad as it seems. Mohammad, better known as 'Butch', arrived at John Ibrahim's clifftop home and attempted to provoke a confrontation over money. Karl Bonnette shares: "Fred was the man; he was the smartest of all of them. 'What we've seen since back in the day with these families is that they move out for a new life in Australia, and will do anything to avoid going back to where they're from. One of the brawlers was spotted with a large knife in his hand. A well known Lebanese family who lived not far from the old Redfern Police Academy were terrorising the locals with random assaults, drug dealing, robberies and violent anti-social behaviour. The main center of Lebanese organized crime is Sydney, with a significant community of 120,000, followed by Melbourne. Lebanese organized crime is active in the country of Lebanon itself, as well as in countries and areas with a large Arab community, most notably United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and Canada also in the Triple Frontier in South America. Killing and shooting and illegal activity have become part of daily life. In the immediate aftermath of Hamzy's death they banned members of his crew, the Alameddine crew and others from certain parts of Sydney their rivals were known to haunt in an attempt to avoid an all-out gang war. A possum feared extinct is discovered by an amateur naturalist in Papua New Guinea being cooked on a My weekly horoscope: What will March 4th 2023 bring for MY star sign? The secret WhatsApp mode that lets you EDIT texts after you've sent them. A source close to the Alameddines said: 'For years there were multiple families in that area, but most of the other ones were too focused on each other in the end.'. Automated News Feed Subreddit No Censorship, Just News. The family of the late Kobe Bryant has agreed to a $28.5 million settlement with Los Angeles County to resolve the remaining claims in a lawsuit over deputies and firefighters sharing grisly . Retired NSW detective turned Western Sydney University lecturer Michael Kennedy has seen generations of organised crime groups in Sydney. In the aftermath of Hamad Assaad's death, a one-eyed man carried his coffin down the steps of Lakemba Mosque. Mohammad, better known as 'Butch', arrived at John Ibrahim's clifftop home and attempted to provoke a confrontation over money. While some gangs occasionally partner-up for mutual gain, theyre definitely not chums when it comes to their turf. In the aftermath of Hamad Assaad's death, a one-eyed man carried his coffin down the steps of Lakemba Mosque. Do not sell or share my personal information. Mom who lost both sons to fentanyl blasts laughing Biden, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' And despite the fact that Machhour had not visited Bqarsouna in more than 30 years, Ahmad maintains that he kept strong links. 1999 Harris Kayot Deck Boat, WebLater that year, a second fight ensued. Lebanese mafia is a Colloquial term for organized crime groups which origin from Lebanon and Levant.Lebanese organized crime is active in the country of Lebanon itself, as well as in countries and areas with a large Arab community, most notably United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and Canada also in the Triple Frontier in South America. The initial dispute was a turf war over drugs in the Greater Western Sydney area. Most arrested gangsters over the years all looked like ordinary citizens. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. The one-eyed pallbearer was detained in 2015 after returning from Syria, where he claimed he was doing 'humanitarian work'. All rights reserved. Days before the 34-year-old was fatally shot in the heart of Sydney, NSW Police had gone to his home and warned him that his life was in danger. From the Russian Mafia in Sydney to executives at big-time banks involved in money laundering, here are some of the most infamous Australian crime bosses: If theres one boss to rule them all, its Fred Paddles Anderson. I've had enough of life': Grandmother, 86, is reduced to tears after killjoy Tory Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers speaks out on his deep depression after chemotherapy which left him having Top equestrian rider, 39, once known as the 'golden girl' of horse eventing, is facing jail after being Former Page 3 model Samantha Fox says it's 'scary' how much Botox and fillers young girls are having with My boss is furious I didn't give my first class seat to her and left her stuck in economy - despite the fact How the 'cha cha' will do wonders for your bowel and cabbage juice is a miracle cure. Crime families exchange gunfire and trade narcotics with apparent immunity; arrestees in Bankstown are 60 times more likely to use heroin than those in other parts in Australia. The first community of Lebanese in Australia were Maronite Christians, quickly followed by a large Muslim community. He claimed he was there doing humanitarian work and has never been charged with a criminal offence. His crew won't take this lightly. A source close to Bassam told Daily Mail Australia he was 'shattered' at news of his brother's death, which came just months after the passing of his father. 'It shouldn't be any surprise that organised crime crews remain staunch and refuse to stand in the witness box and give each other up,' Professor Kennedy said. A contract gunman and an associate of Osman Houchar, Assaad was believed to have been the trigger man. The street side brawl came a day before a series of shootings at homes linked to both a Hamzy and Alameddine relative. Mohammed, again a Brothers 4 Life devotee, was stabbed in prison in late-October where he is serving time for shooting two men in 2013. 17K subscribers in the AutoNewspaper community. The crime families mostly targeted each other, after Adnan Darwiche and Bilal Razzak (both sons of their families respective patriarchs) got into a brawl at Nemras Cafe in Bankstown on February 25, 2001. While they may be smaller compared to their city counterparts, theyre also one of the more dangerous groups. We tried setting it up once but it didnt work, says Don Weatherburn, director of the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. Lebanese organized crime syndicates generally are active globally . Lebanon is facing economic collapse. They are known for having control over the Merrylands area in west Sydney, Police believe Mejid Hamzy was responsible for the shooting death of Hamad Assaad, a close associate of Osman Haouchar (left) who is pictured with his wannabe standover man cousin Mohamad 'Butch' Haouchar (right). His crew won't take this lightly. Its activities were largely Keep Reading. Brothers for Life, also Brothers 4 Life was a Middle Eastern crime gang, active in south-western suburbs of Sydney, Australia.They came to public prominence largely from internal disputes between the Bankstown chapter and the Blacktown chapter that resulted in a number of shootings in October 2012 to February 2014 that killed two members. 104 reviews #5 of 88 Restaurants in Sydney $$ - $$$ Lebanese Mediterranean Middle Eastern. The killings were straight out of a mafia . For the past decades the Arab crime families had controlled 78% of Germany's underworld activities. He was brought undone by a personal killing. Italian crime figures Carl Williams, Jason Moran, Mark Moran, Mick Gatto, and Alphonse Gangitano split up into factions with each of them fighting for power and influence. The rate of crime has steadily been reducing in the past 15 years, and Sydney is one of the safest cities in the country. They are known for having control over the Merrylands area in west Sydney, Police believe Mejid Hamzy was responsible for the shooting death of Hamad Assaad, a close associate of Osman Haouchar (left) who is pictured with his wannabe standover man cousin Mohamad 'Butch' Haouchar (right). jewish british actresses; how old is meryl lipstein Hamze, 34, was gunned down in the CBD on Thursday night after dining at ritzy sushi restaurant Kid Kyoto. Hamze is the cousin of Bassam Hamzy, 41, who is serving more than 40 years for a spree of killings and gang-related crimes, and Mejid Hamzy who was shot dead in his Condell Park driveway in October 2020. The Gangland War. They include some members of the Hamzy crew being banned from entering Mount Druitt, Rooty HIll, Blacktown and Merrylands where the Alammedine gang frequents. Supporters including Rachad Alameddine (front) leave court after Talal Alameddine was given a 13-year sentence in 2018 for supplying the gun used to kill police accountant Curtis Cheng, Bilal Alameddine (left) could face more than five years in jail when he is sentenced on gun and drug running charges on December 11. Your local builder, cashier, or your deli guy could all be criminals! Two men are being hunted by police for their alleged roles in a notorious organised crime network in Sydney's south-west. A former associate of Mejid's said his death really could spark an underworld war. Bilal Hamze, 34, was gunned down in the CBD on Thursday night after dining at ritzy sushi restaurant Kid Kyoto, The shooting murder of Mejid Hamzy (left), older brother of notorious criminal Bassam (right), has sparked fears of an all-out war between criminal clans fighting for control of Sydney's west, (L to R) Criminals Rachad Alameddine and his brother Jihad pose for a photo with their cousins Hamdi and Rafat. The Hamzys believed Assaad had been paid by another notorious group to carry out a drive-by shooting on the family's matriarch Maha, that left her wheelchair bound. In 1999, his son Bassam shot dead a teenager during a night out in Sydney and was himself jailed for 21 years. He will call Goulburn Supermax, Australia's most secure prison home until at least 2042, Bassam's father Khaled (left) moved his family to Australia in the 1970s and was himself jailed in the mid-1990s on drugs charges. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. Lebanese organized crime syndicates generally are active globally, largely due to the mass Arab population. But the bans lasted just 72 hours, meaning were quickly back roaming once again. Bilal had been serving time on a murder charge which was later downgraded to him being an accessory. Originally from Lebanon, Hakim established his empire in Australia after emigrating to Sydney in 1952. / lebanese crime families sydney. Slowly, but surely the new crime wave focus was against the Lebanese community and this has been the case since the 1990's. He befriended members of the NSW police (selling rissoles in the old NSW Police Academy canteen) as well as underworld figures like Graham Croc Palmer and Lennie McPherson. He did a stint in jail in the late-2000s, but was last year cleared on drug trafficking charges. CCTV footage of the brutal showed the two going head-to-head before Alameddine got the upper hand, leaving Hamzy battered and bruised. And these guys are well armed. He was stabbed in prison last week. Powerful members involved in criminal activity tend to come and Keep Reading, Earlierwe met Redfern-based Frank Hakim, the first major Lebanese criminal in Sydney, and younger men such as Louis Bayeh and Danny Karam. 'Organised crime is not going anywhere, you can't regulate it, and so you need them to self-regulate. In the immediate aftermath of Mejid's death, police banned members of his crew, the Alameddine crew and others from certain parts of Sydney their rivals were known to haunt in an attempt to avoid an all-out gang war. The shooting death of Mejid Hamzy has sparked fears of a gangland war in Sydney's western suburbs, where Middle Eastern crime gangs have long run rampant. Bilal had been serving time on a murder charge which was later downgraded to him being an accessory. money laundering and armed robbery. How to use the 'JAILBREAK' version of ChatGPT: Simple trick lets you access an unfiltered alter-ego of the 'How I snatched JK Rowling's baby out of her abusive husband's arms - and helped her flee with the Harry Do not sell or share my personal information. Sydney's western suburbs have long played home to dangerous criminal groups Among them were brothers Mejid and Bassam Hamzy, who is currently in prison Police believe Mejid may have been. Hed also provide these establishments with protection from other violent gangs. The Asian gangs in Sydney were infamous for street-level heroin trade. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Hershey's Canada releases HER for SHE bars featuring a trans activist, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Family of a 10-month-old baby filmed vaping open up. After being acquitted from a murder charge in 1940, Anderson moved to Sydney and established his rep as a standover man. Haouchar lost his eye in a drive-by shooting at his family's Merrylands home in 2008. Salim, 18, and Toufik, 64, were targeted as they sat inside a ute at Osgood Street around 8.55am. Man had sex with his wife on bollard in protest after it had been erected by neighbour to stop him parking What happens when classic cars sell for too much? In only 82 of the 33,337 neighbourhoods and in just one suburb - all in Sydney and Melbourne - do Muslims constitute half the local population. country of residence flight check in; nathaniel rateliff gallagher way; filming locations for she out of my league. But Sydneys current underworld has fractured into several groups, all competing for control. They believed that person was a member of the Haouchar crime gang. 'You don't give them a green light by any means, but you have an open dialogue so that you can go to them and say "this is a problem" and they will act. Another source described the current situation in Sydney as being 'on a knife's edge'. While Talal's involvement in the murder of Mr Cheng has seen him become the most infamous member of the clan, he is not the only one to have landed himself in strife. Drive-bys were virtually unheard of in Sydney until the mid-1990s, when the sons and grandsons of hardworking Lebanese migrants emerged as serious players in a world of organized crime, hitherto dominated by Vietnamese and Calabrian gangs. 'They are organised criminal groups targeting each other,' Asst Comm Thurtell said. Once you got into the zone where you are powerful and people are scared of you, you dont want to stop. The shooting murder of Mejid Hamzy (left), older brother of notorious criminal Bassam (right), has sparked fears of an all-out war between criminal clans fighting for control of Sydney's west, (L to R) Criminals Rachad Alameddine and his brother Jihad pose for a photo with their cousins Hamdi and Rafat. Lebanese organized crime syndicates generally are active . But as demand ballooned, Keep Reading, The Nugan Hand merchant bank operated from 1973 to 1980 and has been selected as a rare example of systematic money laundering about which there is public knowledge. This amounts to 0.025%. NSW Police assistant commissioner Peter Thurtell claimed the ongoing gang wars on the streets of western Sydney are drug related. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Over recent years Strike Force Raptor against bikies and the middle-eastern crime squad has seen criminals riled up and retaliate. 61K views, 233 likes, 5 loves, 107 comments, 41 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from 7NEWS Sydney: Police trying to head off a gang war in Sydney have seized weapons and drugs from a member of the. The bank was definitely involved in laundering (for a 22 per cent fee), tax fraud, and stealing from investors, and has been Keep Reading, All around the world, first and second generation immigrants often form a higher proportion of criminals than of the general population. On the other hand, Middle Eastern crime in Sydney has spiked lately because of the inflow of drugs from rural areas and abroad. He set up the gang Brothers 4 Life, and with a bevvy of mobile phones hidden in his cell, ran a sophisticated drug and crime ring. Schneider, until his murder, was considered by the NSW Crime Commission to be the most influential drug supplier to the state. Australia's Pacific gangland. By Josh Hanrahan For Daily Mail Australia, Published: 09:29 GMT, 16 November 2020 | Updated: 02:47 GMT, 18 June 2021. Because of Hakims rising power and influence, he became the first prominent Lebanese criminal and, eventually, the unofficial, Crime Families in Sidney: The DarwicheRazzakFahda Family Conflict. Men of Middle Eastern appearance banteramicably in Arabic within tea rooms and coffee shops, while women wearing headscarves, hijabs and, on the odd occasion, burqas wheel prams through Centro, Bankstowns sparkling white shopping center. During the 1990s, Lebanese-Australian gangs took hold of Sydney. Osman's brother Bilalfled Australia for Lebanon in 2018, but remains a key person of interest over a spate of murders - however Australia and Lebanon have no extradition treaty. RELATED: Australian Bikie Gangs: Complete List of Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs. Photo / Thinkstock. Sydneys underworld is surprisingly diverse, with gang members and mobsters coming from every background. Members from both gangs consumed copious amounts of alcohol and cocaine before fighting what would later be known as the Battle of Kellett Street. Later that year, a second fight ensued. A Year Later, Unanswered Questions and Bad Blood, The Nanjing Massacre: Scenes from a Hideous Slaughter 75 Years Ago, U.S. Government Helped Rise of Mexican Drug Cartel: Report. While the heart of their operations tends to remain in city centres, police investigations have shown that they manage operations all around the country. RELATED: Man stabbed in the neck at Wynyard station in Sydney CBD. A former associate of Mejid's said his death really could spark an underworld war. Ahmad estimates that there are now up to 300 members of the Chaouk family living in Melbourne and Sydney. They know we will come knocking on their door.'. So the weapon of choice switched from guns to sharp razors, creating so-called razor gangs. Trad thinks the problem can be nipped in the bud by changing the way schools deal with Lebanese delinquents. Rate Provo's attorneys or make an appointment at Most gangs settle in Sydneys rural areas, where police presence isnt as strong as it is in the city. The geographic heartland of Australias 100,000-strong Lebanese community, its red brick apartments and cement-sheet homes are peppered with mosques, musallas and churches. The gang was active until 1999, when their leader was murdered outside a Western Sydney pub after his release from prison. Lebanese mafia is a Colloquial term for organized crime groups which origin from Lebanon and Levant. He has since fled to Lebanon but he remains a suspect in a number of murders in Australia, however the countries have no extradition treaty, Osman Haouchar (left) carries the coffin at the funeral for murdered gangster Hamad Assaad. Bilal's disdain for the glitzy rivals was so severe that John has been warned on a number of occasions about threats on his life. Revealed: The new '23' number plates the DVLA deems offensive and has banned including EU23 OFF and GO23 HEL. You just want more, Basha says. Tensions in the city's south-west and western suburbs are at a long-time high. Criminals are coming together from a really diverse range of backgrounds to do bad things together. Nevertheless he acknowledges Middle Eastern organized crime in the city is not going to go away and more research is needed. With police continuing their search for Mejid Hamzy's killers, Daily Mail Australia has taken a look at these two Middle Eastern crime crews, and others, who are wreaking havoc across the city. The attacks were reported as a war between two rival Lebanese crime families, the Darwiches and the Razzaks. [1] Due to the vast international Arab diaspora and along with a certain amount of organized criminals active in their respective communities, the Beqaa Valley has become one of the most infamous marijuana and hashish exporting regions in the world. Sydney Morning Herald warned: Sydney Gang Wars: The Battle Of Blood Alley & The Battle of Kellet Street, Just recently, in July of this year, a fight broke out in broad daylight in a busy intersection outside Westfield Parramatta. While Talal will be off the streets for at least the next decade, his five relatives have continued to develop into a prominent crime entourage in western Sydney. NZ Herald. "His son Walid came here several years ago to choose a wife," says Ahmad. Bilal's angst towards the Ibrahims was echoed by his cousin Mohammad last year when he tried to stand over nightclub boss John Ibrahim. ', Pools of blood and ripped clothing lie on the ground outside the house of a friend where Mejid Hamzy stumbled to after being shot in the front yard of his own home on Monday, October 19, Blood stained shirts and other ripped clothing was taken away in evidence bags by NSW Police, A burnt out car, believed to have been the one used by the two gunmen, was found on a nearby suburban street. Play it now! Another source described the current situation in Sydney as being 'on a knife's edge'. The recent brawl followed a similar fight last year behind bars between the two most infamous people with Hamzy and Alameddine as a surname. . 'You don't give them a green light by any means, but you have an open dialogue so that you can go to them and say "this is a problem" and they will act. They are in continuous rivalry over the country's resources and budgets. The Triple Frontier, a tri-border area along the junction of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil, is often used by Lebanese groups connected to political parties but also by Arab Mafia groups as a heaven for smuggling and money laundering.[7]. Who Are The Gangs In Sydney And What Areas Do They Operate In? Finally, the rural areas of Sydney are home to small-time gangs who act as enforcers for the bigger gangs in the city. According to the NSW Police, Lebanese crime families have started to corner the market on drug-dealing, causing them to clash with other gangs in the city.
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