But after seeing a close friend covered with petrol and set alight, he turned over a new leaf and began writing The Combination, a film about Lebanese schoolchildren who get caught up with gangs that won critical acclaim on release in 2010. Mejid Hamzy, brother. They can expect us to be in their face. 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. This amounts to 0.025%. There are fears a feud between two warring Sydney gangs could escalate after the public assassination of Bilal Hamze. He was stabbed in prison last week. 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. 'They are organised criminal groups targeting each other,' Asst Comm Thurtell said. 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. WhatsApp chat is just for everyday banter (that's 'Why the last-minute delay?' 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. 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. His cousin Mahmoud, a fellow Brothers 4 Life member, was also shot dead in 2013 as he was caught in the middle of an attempt on another cousin,Mohammed 'Little Crazy' Hamzy. The initial dispute was a turf war over drugs in the Greater Western Sydney area. Bilal's angst towards the Ibrahims was echoed by his cousin Mohammad last year when he tried to stand over nightclub boss John Ibrahim. '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. Another source described the current situation in Sydney as being 'on a knife's edge'. 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. 1999 Harris Kayot Deck Boat, WebLater that year, a second fight ensued. Sydney A. Charles joined the 4 News Now team as a Breaking News Anchor and Producer in June of 2022. There are two significant sources of crime in Sydney: Who Are The Top Sydney Crime Bosses/Families? 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 . Lebanese mafia is a Colloquial term for organized crime groups which origin from Lebanon and Levant. Despite being accused of murder, assault, race-fixing, bribery, illegal gambling and. 'The rationale behind targeting each other is obviously drug related. 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. 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. Over recent years Strike Force Raptor against bikies and the middle-eastern crime squad has seen criminals riled up and retaliate. 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. 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. Compared to the Arab population in Australia, a much larger number of Arabs are in Germany and have traditionally settled in large numbers in Lebanese regions such as Tripoli, the Beqaa Valley and Beirut where they have integral part of the country's Sunni community. Hed also provide these establishments with protection from other violent gangs. Bassam's cousin Mohammed 'Little Crazy' Hamzy (right) is currently serving time in jail for shooting two men in 2012. There are two significant sources of crime in Sydney: money laundering and drugs. Salim, 18, and Toufik, 64, were targeted as they sat inside a ute at Osgood Street around 8.55am. The Ones That Didnt Make It: Australia-Bound Refugees Languish in Indonesia, Circle Sentencing: Alternative Justice in Australia, Wildfires Scorch Australia As Temperatures Reach Record Highs, Nelson Mandelas Extraordinary Life: An Interactive Timeline, How Did Gaddafi Die? After finishing school, Basha became involved in more serious crimes. 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. The NSW Police Force works hard with the court system and Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research to keep Campbelltown crime rates, and crime rates all across the city, low and safe for all of Sydneys residents. While the heart of their operations tends to remain in city centres, police investigations have shown that they manage operations all around the country. I was lucky; I got a second chance. His crew won't take this lightly. rancho bernardo country club membership cost; About. 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. CCTV footage of the brutal showed the two going head-to-head before Alameddine got the upper hand, leaving Hamzy battered and bruised. The first community of Lebanese in Australia were Maronite Christians, quickly followed by a large Muslim community. Mohammad, better known as 'Butch',arrived at John's clifftop home and attempted to provoke a confrontation over money. NSW Police assistant commissioner Peter Thurtell claimed the ongoing gang wars on the streets of western Sydney are drug related. At 2am that Saturday, the home of Maha Hamze was shot at in a drive-by attack. '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. 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. 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. So the problem we have now in Sydney is a ramification of what has been going on in Lebanon.. 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. Home. But one things for sure: foreign criminal investment in Sydney has largely replaced domestic gangs. In total 22 people were banned from certain areas in Sydney's west and east. Today the War on Drugs continues to affect many lives in ways ranging from the trivial to the profound. 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. McPherson decided to take Hakim under his wing and offered protection to the would-be gangster. All products are independently selected, tested or recommended by our team of experts.If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission. 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. But Sydneys current underworld has fractured into several groups, all competing for control. 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. Watch exclusive vision of the moment Hamze is killed in the video above '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.'. 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. 'We will be targeting associates and known offenders. 'But what you've got to do is get these communities to trust you. 'This guy was well connected and loved by heaps of heavies. 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. They are in continuous rivalry over the country's resources and budgets. Play it now! In analogy with Australia, Arab organized crime also came to Germany following the Lebanese Civil War. Both gangs had resumes that ran from car theft and rebirthing to protection, standover rackets and drugs. The sharp increase in Sydney gang wars has shown police that the structure behind these families has changed. Inside Matt Hancock's 41-hour battle to save his career when photo of 'a snog and heavy petting' with aide 'Arrested at the airport? NZ Herald. Low 37F. RELATED: Australian Bikie Gangs: Complete List of Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs. 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. On the other hand, Middle Eastern crime in Sydney has spiked lately because of the inflow of drugs from rural areas and abroad. The one-eyed pallbearer was detained in 2015 after returning from Syria, where he claimed he was doing 'humanitarian work'. And given the history of government efforts to obtain information on race, Im not even sure its something we should be doing. 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. Police investigating the Hamze slaying will doubtless be reminded of the conflict between Lebanese crime gangs linked to the Razzak and Darwiche families that hit the streets of southwest Sydney in the early 2000s. Sydney was founded by criminals who for years formed a majority of its population. 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. Revealed: The new '23' number plates the DVLA deems offensive and has banned including EU23 OFF and GO23 HEL. Most gangs settle in Sydneys rural areas, where police presence isnt as strong as it is in the city. But while life behind bars is intended to be a deterrent for reoffending, it was where Hamzy thrived. 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. All rights reserved. Osman was interrogated after returning from the Turkey and Syria border in 2015, as it was a designated no-go zone. A contract gunman and an associate of Osman Houchar, Assaad was believed to have been the trigger man. Retired NSW detective turned Western Sydney University lecturer Michael Kennedy has seen generations of organised crime groups in Sydney. To the streets, thats where., Australian-Lebanese filmmaker George Basha agrees. There were multiple acts of senseless violence, including weapons theft, shootings, and murders. The angst between the two came to a head in 2013 during the botched shooting on Maha Hamzy, the aunt of Mejid and Bassam. 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. Police believe up to 5,000 mafia members are operating in Australia, in league with their colleagues in Italy. A former associate of Mejid's said his death really could spark an underworld war. lebanese crime families sydney. In 1994 I was stationed at Redfern. He would threaten to attack illegal establishments, such as casinos and brothels, unless they paid him a hefty wad of cash. In the aftermath of Hamad Assaad's death, a one-eyed man carried his coffin down the steps of Lakemba Mosque. February 27, 2023 . 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. 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. Although he never committed any murder himself, this standover man ordered more hits than any other organised crime figure in Sydney. Lennie McPherson went from a boy sentenced to juvy to one of Australias most notorious career criminals in the 20th century. He did a stint in jail in the late-2000s, but was last year cleared on drug trafficking charges. 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. And these guys are well armed. Its difficult to say whos top dog in Sydneys criminal underworld at any given moment. Retired NSW detective turned Western Sydney University lecturer Michael Kennedy has seen generations of organised crime groups in Sydney. Karl Bonnette shares: "Fred was the man; he was the smartest of all of them. . 'Whoever pulled this stunt is a madman for sure. Sydneys underworld is surprisingly diverse, with gang members and mobsters coming from every background. They include some members of the Hamzy crew being banned from entering Mount Druitt, Rooty HIll, Blacktown and Merrylands where the Alammedine gang frequents. The important thing to remember is to always report any suspicious activity to the authorities, and if a situation seems sketchy, stay away! How Matt Hancock and Priti Patel shared stories of heavy-handed police Astrologer Russell Grant admits he was 'in denial' after being diagnosed with a brain tumour as Strictly JANET STREET-PORTER: You're not a teenager, Mr Hancock. 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 very next day, bullets were fired into the home of another Alameddine. RELATED: MAFS Daniel breaks silence on criminal charge.