calling them lebanese simply He (Mejid) was one of the biggest names in Sydney,' they said. He would threaten to attack illegal establishments, such as casinos and brothels, unless they paid him a hefty wad of cash. He was stabbed in prison last week. [4] Some of the more notorious Arab mafia families include the infamous el-koura Younes Clan, the Shams Clan the Al Zein Clan[5] and the Miri Clan from Bremen. Hes known as the true Australian godfather his influence reached all corners of Australia, from Queensland to Victoria and beyond. In the violent feud, one of Mrs Darwiche's sons, AbdulQader, was shot dead and another was convicted of two murders. Sydney Morning Herald warned: "Criminal gangs in the Vietnamese community are increasingly heavily armed, are moving into drugs and gambling, establishing links with Australian crime figures, and becoming involved in standover rackets in their own community.". These guys are the cream of the crop when it comes to Australian crime bosses, overseeing and commanding people all across New South Wales. The street side brawl came a day before a series of shootings at homes linked to both a Hamzy and Alameddine relative. In only four Sydney. This amounts to 0.025%. Bilal's angst towards the Ibrahims was echoed by his cousin Mohammad last year when he tried to stand over nightclub boss John Ibrahim. Of course, the establishment owners couldnt report Anderson to the police, as it would put their illegal business in jeopardy. We are afraid there is some connection between these guys here and the guys in Lebanon, he said during a three-month visit to Sydney earlier this year to exchange information on criminal syndicates with the New South Wales Police Forces Middle Eastern Crime Squad. It was non-stop, he says. What Type Of Organised Crime Are These Families/Gangs A Part Of? To the streets, thats where., Australian-Lebanese filmmaker George Basha agrees. 'You will often see that organised crime groups keep things in the family, because it brings a level of trust and unity, but also they don't want to share what they have. Tensions in the city's south-west and western suburbs are at a long-time high. Lebanese Family Terrorises Neighbourhood Redfern Police Station in Sydney. Two of the prominent razor gangs were associated with famous madams Kate Leigh and Tilly Devine. Two men are being hunted by police for their alleged roles in a notorious organised crime network in Sydney's south-west. 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. Lebanese organized crime syndicates generally are active . The SCPOs prevent them from having more than one mobile phone, using encrypted messenger services like WhatsApp or Wickr, or carrying more than $10,000 in cash. the so-called "lebanese mafia" is called that because it was based in brunswick, an area classically populated by lebanese immigrants (although nowadays only yuppies live there) but the criminal organisation is part of the 'Ndrangheta (Honoured Society) and they really draw their traditions from Calabria, Italy. In 1999, his son Bassam shot dead a teenager during a night out in Sydney and was himself jailed for 21 years. Osman was interrogated after returning from the Turkey and Syria border in 2015, as it was a designated no-go zone. Tensions in the city's south-west and western suburbs are at a long-time high. ', 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. 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. Click on the image above to see a map of Sydney showing famous crime locations. 1999 Harris Kayot Deck Boat, WebLater that year, a second fight ensued. Several other gang members were seriously injured. 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. 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. Daily Mail Australia is in no way suggesting that John Ibrahim is involved in an underworld war or is part of any crime group. While working as CEO of the Australian International Islamic College in Brisbane last year, he initiated a new program that saw problem students placed in a behavior-management room where they were closely supervised by an Islamic cleric. This episode takes a look at the. We have already seen with Robert Trimbole an example of how Keep Reading, The mafia is a general term used to describe organised crime gangs of predominantly Italian ancestry around the world. But below the surface of this lower-middle class success story is a Middle Eastern ghetto terrorized by members of its community. lebanese crime families sydney. Well, not so much. "We ask Allah to give his family, wife and children comfort during this test." A witness told 2GB he heard about 10 bullets fired in the street outside his car workshop on Thursday morning. Retired NSW detective turned Western Sydney University lecturer Michael Kennedy has seen generations of organised crime groups in Sydney. MAFS Daniel breaks silence on criminal charge. There are certainly criminal groups you could describe as Middle Eastern in origin but the lines are now blurring, he tells TIME. In certain parts of the region, life is structured around extended clan families, a number of whom are active in criminal activities such as narcotics trafficking, kidnapping for ransom and car theft. In recent years 26-year-old Talal's brother Rafat, 28, and cousins Bilal, 21, Jihad, 31, Rachad (sometimes 'Richad'), 28, and Hamdi Alameddine 27, have all faced serious criminal matters in court. Until that time there had been little demand for heroin, and indeed most serious criminals, like the rest of society, regarded heroin dealers with contempt. 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. Although he never committed any murder himself, this standover man ordered more hits than any other organised crime figure in Sydney. , they suspect that the conflict was between two rival gangs in Western Sydney. The Asian gangs in Sydney were infamous for street-level heroin trade. 'Bassam was big but Mejid is a different breed. Police believe up to 5,000 mafia members are operating in Australia, in league with their colleagues in Italy. Most mob bosses dont last long as they are taken out by rival gangs or police operations. WhatsApp chat is just for everyday banter (that's 'Why the last-minute delay?' He claimed he was there doing humanitarian work and has never been charged with a criminal offence. Oscar Cainer tells all. 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. 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. The one-eyed pallbearer was detained in 2015 after returning from Syria, where he claimed he was doing 'humanitarian work'. And given the revolving trend of crime in the city, sometimes bosses lie low or act via a proxy, making the head figures hard to pin down. He claimed he was there doing humanitarian work and has never been charged with a criminal offence. Crime is an essential part of the city's history. In Sydney, Disaffected Lebanese Kids Caught in Spiraling Gang Violence Facing racism at school and pressure at home, children from Middle Eastern families in Australia are dragged into world. Man stabbed in the neck at Wynyard station in Sydney CBD, The Criminal Sydney Underworld (And The Australian Families Of Crime). Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. Our contributors include the great investigators Bob Bottom and Al McCoy, and the wonderfully insightful Sydney artist Michael Fitzjames. 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. Lebanese mafia is a colloquial term for organized crime groups which origin from Lebanon and Levant. While Sydney crime figures have been dropping steadily for the past couple of years, there's data (like the Campbelltown crime rate) that tell of a much larger problem facing New South Wales. 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.'. Since late 2019, the country's currency has lost over 90% of its value, and people's life savings are locked up in banks that have imposed discretionary capital. Then, when theyve proven themselves enough, they rise in the ranks and move onto larger scale illicit activity. 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 very next day, bullets were fired into the home of another Alameddine. He told Daily Mail Australia that despite the hard tactics of police, antagonising these groups is in his opinion not the best way to go about it. 2015 Sydney Crime Museum. At 2am that Saturday, the home of Maha Hamze was shot at in a drive-by attack. Then click on any blue marker to find out more. His crew won't take this lightly. rancho bernardo country club membership cost; About. 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. 'There's no great mystery that families who come here with nothing will do the hard yards and whatever it takes to get money, and many individuals end up in crime.'. 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. Your local builder, cashier, or your deli guy could all be criminals! They were followed by other groups of criminals of Lebanese descent, many of whom, in contrast to their predecessors, preferred to remain in the part of Sydney where Keep Reading, In the 1990s Sydneys heroin centre moved from Kings Cross to the suburb of Cabramatta with its large Vietnamese population. Members from both gangs consumed copious amounts of alcohol and cocaine before fighting what would later be known as the Battle of Kellett Street. Jihad Alameddine (right) has pleaded guilty to a charges including drug possession, drug driving and possessing equipment for administering drugs. Sydney's Lebanese gangs 2 of 5 TheGanglandman3 5.13K subscribers 499K views 12 years ago Takes a look inside Australia's world of Lebanese crime gangs. 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. Most gangs settle in Sydney's rural areas, where police presence isn't as strong as it is in the city. Schneider, until his murder, was considered by the NSW Crime Commission to be the most influential drug supplier to the state. . 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 gang was active until 1999, when their leader was murdered outside a Western Sydney pub after his release from prison. [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. Prior to his assassination, Mejid Hamzy was more than happy to fly under the radar as he went about his business in the underworld. Once Lebanese kids gets involved in gangs, theyre killed or in prison before they get a chance to grow up., There is no data available on the prevalence of criminality in Sydneys Lebanese community because people who are arrested are not legally required to give information on their ethnicity or heritage. Bassam will not be eligible for parole until at least 2042. Its activities were largely Keep Reading. In a separate recent shooting prominent gangster Samer Marcus was left fighting for life in hospital after being gunned down outside his parents' home. The first community of Lebanese in Australia were Maronite Christians, quickly followed by a large Muslim community. Low 37F. 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. When the Pistol Licensing Act of 1927 was passed, gangs had a much more difficult time accessing guns. Hamzy, 44, was gunned down in the driveway of his home at Condell Park at 7.30am on Monday, October 17 by two balaclava-clad gunmen. This earned him the nicknames Mr Big and Mr Ten Percent. And these guys are well armed. On the day before the first of the Skaf rapes, the gang's leader was only a few weeks away from his 19th birthday. Trad thinks the problem can be nipped in the bud by changing the way schools deal with Lebanese delinquents. 'Bassam was big but Mejid is a different breed. In 1929, it was discovered that gang lord Phil Jeffs was using boracic acid to cut his cocaine, causing major conflict between the two gangs. Born in Lebanon, the 51-year-old is the brother of John Ibrahim, a popular figure and former Kings Cross, Sydney nightclub owner who has been accused of being a "major organized-crime figure" and labeled as "the lifeblood of the drugs industry of Kings Cross"; allegations that John Ibrahim denies. In Germany these clans mostly settled in Berlin, Bremen and Essen where they became involved in narcotics trafficking, weapons trafficking, extortion, prostitution, illegal gambling, car theft, money laundering and armed robbery. Fred could pick up the phone and get anything done like that [clicks his fingers].. 14 Dorchester St, Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 5Y8 Canada +1 902-562-3412 Website. '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. The street side brawl came a day before a series of shootings at homes linked to both a Hamzy and Alameddine relative. Closed now : See all hours. 'If you use the word "mafia" it gives the wrong idea, but it's essentially the same thing in that you have a close knit system,' Professor Kennedy said. Criminal organizations however often transcend religious and cultural barriers, with members of the Sunni communities all involved in the same criminal organizations.[3]. Most arrested gangsters over the years all looked like ordinary citizens. CCTV footage of the brutal showed the two going head-to-head before Alameddine got the upper hand, leaving Hamzy battered and bruised. But while life behind bars is intended to be a deterrent for reoffending, it was where Hamzy thrived. 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. He didn't know that a notorious group of extended Lebanese-Muslim families, descended from the lawless hill tribes of Northern Lebanon, lived in Telopea Street. They include some members of the Hamzy crew being banned from entering Mount Druitt, Rooty HIll, Blacktown and Merrylands where the Alameddine gang frequents. Bassam will not be eligible for parole until at least 2042. A burnt out car, believed to have been the one used by the two gunmen, was found on a nearby suburban street THE HAMZYS Khaled and Lola Hamzy moved their family to Australia in the 1970s as civil. Adnan "Eddie" Darwiche, the general of the Darwiche family, controlled drug runs stretching from Punchbowl to Penrith, leaving the outskirts, from . 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. 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. The one-eyed pallbearer was detained in 2015 after returning from Syria, where he claimed he was doing 'humanitarian work'. Over recent years Strike Force Raptor against bikies and the middle-eastern crime squad has seen criminals riled up and retaliate. 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 Facebook predator who lured schoolgirls to run away with him is one of 7,000 sex fiends who offended RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: As Florida governor and Donald Trump rival Ron DeSantis steps up his bid to win the Now California reparations panel RAISES amount it wants to give 1.8m black people from $220,000 to $360,000 Simon Cowell looks unrecognisable as he heads home with partner Lauren Silverman from the Together For Short My dream job has come upcan I make a TINY lie on my CV? NSW Police had reportedly believed he was involved in the shooting death of Hamad Assaad, who was gunned down in his driveway in 2016. 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. Both gangs had resumes that ran from car theft and rebirthing to protection, standover rackets and drugs. Australian Bikie Gangs: Complete List of Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs, McPherson decided to take Hakim under his wing and offered protection to the would-be gangster. 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. 'But what you've got to do is get these communities to trust you. 'There's no great mystery that families who come here with nothing will do the hard yards and whatever it takes to get money, and many individuals end up in crime.'. There were 72 drive-by shootings in Sydney in the first half of this year one every 2 days most of which took place in Bankstown, the City of Liverpool further west and in Sydneys inner-west. 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. ', Mahmoud Hamzy (pictured), a fellow Brothers 4 Life member, was also shot dead in 2013 in an attempt on another cousin, Mohammed 'Little Crazy' Hamzy. According to Sydney police on 7news, they suspect that the conflict was between two rival gangs in Western Sydney. Its difficult to say whos top dog in Sydneys criminal underworld at any given moment. And since their areas dont have a lot of police presence, they act a lot more openly and get into turf wars quite often. These were the families police identified in 2011 as causing most of the trouble in the band, which stretches roughly from Coburg North to Campbellfield, then in an arc around to Altona in the west. The resulting warfare was called the Battle of Blood Alley. A pinch of common sense goes a long way toward helping you stay safe. 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. He was shot in the stomach and shoulder by an unknown person who police say was lying in wait for Hamze. Sydneys underworld is surprisingly diverse, with gang members and mobsters coming from every background. Osman was interrogated after returning from the Turkey and Syria border in 2015, as it was a designated no-go zone. '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. Retired NSW detective turned Western Sydney University lecturer Michael Kennedy has seen generations of organised crime groups in Sydney. The Calabrian mafia work with other organised crime groups including bikie gangs and . RELATED: Manhunt under way after shooting in Sydney suburb. During the 1990s, Lebanese-Australian gangs took hold of Sydney. But the bans lasted just 72 hours, meaning were quickly back roaming once again. Mafiosi within "Al Cossa Kella" don't share any profit through a communal fund. After being acquitted from a murder charge in 1940, Anderson moved to Sydney and established his rep as a standover man. He was accepted in a lot of different circles and he had a bit of class. So the weapon of choice switched from guns to sharp razors, creating so-called razor gangs. money laundering and armed robbery. As part of their hunt for Mejid's killer, NSW Police are also investigating a brawl between members of the Hamzy crew and associates of another major group, the Alammedines, in the days before he died. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. in Sydney may seem like a rare occurrence, but behind the citys peaceful exterior is a thriving criminal underworld! 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. 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. That much was confirmed by Lieutenant Colonel Rony Ghanem of Lebanons Internal Security Force. The Lebanese Mafia is the mafia that carries out the day-to-day activities of Bu organized crime groups originating in Lebanon. It was the type of relationship that had often existed before Keep Reading, Richard Walsh (pictured above left) has been chosen as a good example of the criminality widespread in outlaw motorcycle gangs. "His son Walid came here several years ago to choose a wife," says Ahmad. February 27, 2023 equitable estoppel california No Comments . 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. Another source described the current situation in Sydney as being 'on a knife's edge'. All products are independently selected, tested or recommended by our team of experts.If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission. 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. That family member has since been revealed to be Rafat Alameddine. The important thing to remember is to always report any suspicious activity to the authorities, and if a situation seems sketchy, stay away! 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. The improvement was remarkable Imagine what they would be capable of if they had a better start in life., PHOTOS:Wildfires Scorch Australia As Temperatures Reach Record Highs. 'Obviously these are organised criminal syndicates who are targeting each other and they know who they are targeting,' NSW Police assistant commissioner Peter Thurtell said. The Asian gangs in Sydney were infamous for street-level heroin trade. Crime Families in Sidney: The Darwiche-Razzak-Fahda Family Conflict Organised crime in Sydney may seem like a rare occurrence, but behind the citys peaceful exterior is a thriving criminal underworld! Just recently, in July of this year, a fight broke out in broad daylight in a busy intersection outside Westfield Parramatta. The mafia came to Australia with the Italian cane cutters who arrived in Queensland in the 1920s, and grew as the Italian population swelled with post-war migration. In place of those bans, police have reportedly introduced Serious Crime Prevention Orders (SCPOs), giving them even greater limits on what they can do and how they can associate. It ended in 2009, with the death of Abdul Darwiche. A contract gunman and an associate of Osman Houchar, Assaad was believed to have been the trigger man. While the heart of their operations tends to remain in city centres, police investigations have shown that they manage operations all around the country. Ibrahim came out and spoke with the heavily-tattooed Haouchar and calmed the situtation, but police eventually arrested and charged the would be intruder. '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.
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