'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. In 1999, his son Bassam shot dead a teenager during a night out in Sydney and was himself jailed for 21 years. The year did not start well in Sydney's Harris Park. They can expect us to be in their face. 'This guy was well connected and loved by heaps of heavies. A contract gunman and an associate of Osman Houchar, Assaad was believed to have been the trigger man. At 2am that Saturday, the home of Maha Hamze was shot at in a drive-by attack. ', 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. '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. Slowly, but surely the new crime wave focus was against the Lebanese community and this has been the case since the 1990's. Learn about Sydneys vicious criminal underworld. Both gangs had resumes that ran from car theft and rebirthing to protection, standover rackets and drugs. Sydney crime bosses, on the other hand, tend to look more like seasoned thugs. That family member has since been revealed to be Rafat Alameddine. The street side brawl came a day before a series of shootings at homes linked to both a Hamzy and Alameddine relative. '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. Finally, the rural areas of Sydney are home to small-time gangs who act as enforcers for the bigger gangs in the city. 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? 'But what you've got to do is get these communities to trust you. 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. Prior to his assassination, Mejid Hamzy was more than happy to fly under the radar as he went about his business in the underworld. country of residence flight check in; nathaniel rateliff gallagher way; filming locations for she out of my league. Sydney crime families are a far cry from the gangsters and long trench coats we see on TV dramas. '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. They know we will come knocking on their door.'. Police believe he may have been responsible for several assassinations including the 2016 death of Hamad 'The Executioner' Assaad, and that his murder is definitely part of a gang-related attack. Home. Bassam's cousin Mohammed 'Little Crazy' Hamzy (right) is currently serving time in jail for shooting two men in 2012. '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. / lebanese crime families sydney. Six male members of the Alameddine crew are already in jail or before the courts, facing charges related to guns, drugs, violence and organised crime. The Tibas, Haddaras, Chaouks, Kassabs, and Kheirs are north-west Melbourne's version of the Five Families, the major players in the New York mafia. BEL MOONEY:Why does caring for my dad take over my life? Manhunt under way after shooting in Sydney suburb. RELATED: Manhunt under way after shooting in Sydney suburb. The Lebanese Mafia is the mafia that carries out the day-to-day activities of Bu organized crime groups originating in Lebanon. You might think all this talk is something to be concerned about, but dont freak out about it! The main center of Arab organized crime is Sydney, with a significant community of 120,000, followed by Melbourne. Frankfort, KY (40601) Today. The 12 questions you NEED to ask before moving in with your partner, according to a relationship expert. The one-eyed pallbearer was detained in 2015 after returning from Syria, where he claimed he was doing 'humanitarian work'. The Asian gangs in Sydney were infamous for street-level heroin trade. 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. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. What we found was that in a matter of weeks they were excelling the other kids in school. Talal Alameddine, who delivered the gun used to kill NSW Police accountant Curtis Cheng in 2015, took on Bassam Hamzy in an exercise yard at Goulburn's Supermax Prison. 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. Lennie McPherson went from a boy sentenced to juvy to one of Australias most notorious career criminals in the 20th century. 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. But below the surface of this lower-middle class success story is a Middle Eastern ghetto terrorized by members of its community. A member of the Alameddine crime family found with guns and cocaine in Mays Hill | Police trying to head off a gang war in Sydney have seized . 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. In the aftermath of Hamad Assaad's death, a one-eyed man carried his coffin down the steps of Lakemba Mosque. Bassam Hamzy is one of NSW's most notorious prisoners having been convicted of killing, drug and gang offences. Osman was interrogated after returning from the Turkey and Syria border in 2015, as it was a designated no-go zone. 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. There are certainly criminal groups you could describe as Middle Eastern in origin but the lines are now blurring, he tells TIME. They are in continuous rivalry over the country's resources and budgets. 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. In the mid-1980s, Cabramatta and Bankstown gangs swarmed the streets, including a particularly notorious Vietnamese gang called 5T. 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. The comments below have been moderated in advance. 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. Over recent years Strike Force Raptor against bikies and the middle-eastern crime squad has seen criminals riled up and retaliate. With all of the gangs and crime families running around, should you be worried? 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. 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. Retired NSW detective turned Western Sydney University lecturer Michael Kennedy has seen generations of organised crime groups in Sydney. He (Mejid) was one of the biggest names in Sydney,' they said. 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 killings were straight out of a mafia . Fred could pick up the phone and get anything done like that [clicks his fingers].. 'Organised crime is not going anywhere, you can't regulate it, and so you need them to self-regulate. Restaurateurs in Bankstown pay up to $50,000 a year in protection money or risk having their premises firebombed, while Shia and Sunni Muslims exchange invectives and blows on the streets. They include some members of the Hamzy crew being banned from entering Mount Druitt, Rooty HIll, Blacktown and Merrylands where the Alammedine gang frequents. Curious about these gangs and Australian families of crime? '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. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. 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. In the September 2011 trial of Anthony Perish and his Keep Reading, Smith was born in 1944 and was a major criminal, involved particularly in armed robbery, heroin trafficking, and murder. Bilal's angst towards the Ibrahims was echoed by his cousin Mohammad last year when he tried to stand over nightclub boss John Ibrahim. Write by: . I was lucky; I got a second chance. Most of the gangs in Sydney are often offshoots of bigger, foreign organisations. 'Whoever pulled this stunt is a madman for sure. Tensions in the city's south-west and western suburbs are at a long-time high. Osman was interrogated after returning from the Turkey and Syria border in 2015, as it was a designated no-go zone. The angst between the two came to a head in 2013 during the botched shooting on Maha Hamzy, the aunt of Mejid and Bassam. Another source described the current situation in Sydney as being 'on a knife's edge'. What Type Of Organised Crime Are These Families/Gangs A Part Of? After being acquitted from a murder charge in 1940, Anderson moved to Sydney and established his rep as a standover man. Tensions in the city's south-west and western suburbs are at a long-time high. 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 2013 he was caught on recordings from behind bars vowing to kill Michael and his older brother Sam once he got out of prison. 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. 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. This earned him the nicknames Mr Big and Mr Ten Percent. If I opened up my lunchbox and pulled out a Lebanese roll, I would get hassled. All rights reserved. jewish british actresses; how old is meryl lipstein We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Ted Cruz accuses AG Merrick Garland of ignoring threats to Supreme Court justices and crisis pregnancy centers in VERY heated Senate exchange, AG Garland says every prisoner 'deserves dignity' when asked if 'biological males' should be in female jails - as Republicans grill him on the Hunter Biden investigation, fentanyl deaths and rising crime. Bassam will not be eligible for parole until at least 2042. 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. Its activities were largely Keep Reading. Mohammad, better known as 'Butch',arrived at John's clifftop home and attempted to provoke a confrontation over money. 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. 'You could say he is definitely a person of interest in a host of crimes, including murder,' a NSW Police source told The Daily Telegraph. 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. 'The rationale behind targeting each other is obviously drug related. 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. In analogy with Australia, Arab organized crime also came to Germany following the Lebanese Civil War. Money laundering gangs take up most operations in the city, moving cash in and out of casinos and banks. Then, when theyve proven themselves enough, they rise in the ranks and move onto larger scale illicit activity. Our contributors include the great investigators Bob Bottom and Al McCoy, and the wonderfully insightful Sydney artist Michael Fitzjames. '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. ', 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. 'They are organised criminal groups targeting each other,' Asst Comm Thurtell said. 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. 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).