Several other gang members were seriously injured. After finishing school, Basha became involved in more serious crimes. Just recently, in July of this year, a fight broke out in broad daylight in a busy intersection outside Westfield Parramatta. Today, Lebanese crime gangs in Sydney and all over Australia are notorious for weapons & drug trafficking, money laundering, and other crimes. 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. 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. Retired NSW detective turned Western Sydney University lecturer Michael Kennedy has seen generations of organised crime groups in Sydney. 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 . Police believe up to 5,000 mafia members are operating in Australia, in league with their colleagues in Italy. 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. 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. 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,. 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. Hes also famous for having spearheaded most of the citys criminal activity, alongside Abe Mr Sin Saffron and George Freeman. 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. 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. 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. Before we can solve it we need to understand it, he says, and Im not sure we do.. 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. 104 reviews #5 of 88 Restaurants in Sydney $$ - $$$ Lebanese Mediterranean Middle Eastern. Today, Lebanese crime gangs in Sydney and all over Australia are notorious for weapons & drug trafficking, money laundering, and other crimes. 'The rationale behind targeting each other is obviously drug related. Talal Alameddine is the most infamous in his family, despite having numerous criminals among his relatives. [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. 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. Bassam will not be eligible for parole until at least 2042. 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 total 22 people were banned from certain areas in Sydney's west and east. The notorious gangland war led by underground kingpins resulted in 36 deaths over 12 years starting from 1998. 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. Terror in Sydney: The Unspeakable Crimes of Bilal Skaf's Lebanese Rape Gang (Crime Documentary) 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. Ahmad estimates that there are now up to 300 members of the Chaouk family living in Melbourne and Sydney. In the violent feud, one of Mrs Darwiche's sons, AbdulQader, was shot dead and another was convicted of two murders. 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. 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. And despite the fact that Machhour had not visited Bqarsouna in more than 30 years, Ahmad maintains that he kept strong links. In addition to the mentioned Ibrahim members, the Haouchars have also had a long running feud with some of the Hamzys. 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. Previously, criminal gangs were ruled by one family or figure, similar to the Russian mafia. He claimed he was there doing humanitarian work and has never been charged with a criminal offence. 'This guy was well connected and loved by heaps of heavies. Gusty winds this evening. 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. Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting that Rafat Alameddine was responsible for, or in any way involved, in the shooting. According to Sydney police on. 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. February 27, 2023 . RELATED: Manhunt under way after shooting in Sydney suburb. '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. Facing racism at school and pressure at home, children from Middle Eastern families in Australia are dragged into world of organized crime and ethnic bloodletting, Lebanese youths are searched by Australian police in Sydney. 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. 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 angst between the two came to a head in 2013 during the botched shooting on Maha Hamzy, the aunt of Mejid and Bassam. Bassam's cousin Mohammed 'Little Crazy' Hamzy (right) is currently serving time in jail for shooting two men in 2012. NSW Police assistant commissioner Peter Thurtell claimed the ongoing gang wars on the streets of western Sydney are drug related. Crime is an essential part of the city's history. 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. 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. In total 22 people were banned from certain areas in Sydney's west and east. Various prohibitions have caused many citizens to engage in criminal behaviour over the subsequent years, most commonly illegal gambling and drinking. All rights reserved. For the past decades the Arab crime families had controlled 78% of Germany's underworld activities. But the bans lasted just 72 hours, meaning were quickly back roaming once again. Historical rivalries between gangs continue to build up, making Middle Eastern crime in Sydney more dangerous than ever before. Khaled and Lola Hamzy moved their family to Australia in the 1970s as civil war erupted in Lebanon. 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. The recent brawl followed a similar fight last year behind bars between the two most infamous people with Hamzy and Alameddine as a surname. 'They are organised criminal groups targeting each other,' Asst Comm Thurtell said. Its activities were largely Keep Reading. Criminal activity in New South Wales has been at an all-time low, and Sydney has even been dubbed the 5th safest city in the world. Finally, the rural areas of Sydney are home to small-time gangs who act as enforcers for the bigger gangs in the city. Most mob bosses dont last long as they are taken out by rival gangs or police operations. Scuba Certification; Private Scuba Lessons; Scuba Refresher for Certified Divers; Try Scuba Diving; Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) They are in continuous rivalry over the country's resources and budgets. 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. 'Organised crime is not going anywhere, you can't regulate it, and so you need them to self-regulate. Sydneys crime bosses rule the streets with fear and violence. Karl Bonnette shares: "Fred was the man; he was the smartest of all of them. Mohammad, better known as 'Butch', arrived at John Ibrahim's clifftop home and attempted to provoke a confrontation over money. 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!' George Freeman was a bookmaker who was involved in organised crime in Sydney during the 70s and 80s. One of the brawlers was spotted with a large knife in his hand. lebanese crime families sydney. 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. They can expect us to be in their face. 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. 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. 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. MAFS Daniel breaks silence on criminal charge. Tensions in the city's south-west and western suburbs are at a long-time high. It is unclear exactly how many people belong to the 10 families thought to "run" various areas of the Neuklln district of Berlin (the arrests made this week also happened in this area), with. Despite being accused of murder, assault, race-fixing, bribery, illegal gambling and. The attacks were reported as a war between two rival Lebanese crime families, the Darwiches and the Razzaks. Her journalism career began in early college at the University of California, Irvine where she . calling them lebanese simply Curious about these gangs and Australian families of crime? 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. And an otherwise law-abiding majority erect a wall of silence when dealing with police they regularly accuse and sue for thuggery and racial profiling. Find out what Uber drivers really think of you! With all of the gangs and crime families running around, should you be worried? The main center of Lebanese organized crime is Sydney, with a significant community of 120,000, followed by . I was lucky; I got a second chance. That much was confirmed by Lieutenant Colonel Rony Ghanem of Lebanons Internal Security Force. 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.'. 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. 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? But when I was older and more Lebanese kids moved to my area, we formed a gang so we could protect each other and I started bullying back. . 'Bassam was big but Mejid is a different breed. Osman was interrogated after returning from the Turkey and Syria border in 2015, as it was a designated no-go zone. But these days its worse. 'The rationale behind targeting each other is obviously drug related. 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. Khaled and Lola Hamzy moved their family to Australia in the 1970s as civil war erupted in Lebanon. Sydney A. Charles joined the 4 News Now team as a Breaking News Anchor and Producer in June of 2022. The Lebanese Mafia is the mafia that carries out the day-to-day activities of Bu organized crime groups originating in Lebanon. Their camps appear on the sides of roads or in empty parking lots, then after a few days, lebanese crime families sydney. '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. Osman's brother Bilal (pictured) was caught on recordings vowing to kill Michael and his older brother Sam in 2013, once he got out of prison. So the weapon of choice switched from guns to sharp razors, creating so-called razor gangs. One of the brawlers was spotted with a large knife in his hand. In addition to the mentioned Ibrahim members, the Haouchars have also had a long running feud with some of the Hamzys. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. Sydneys underworld is surprisingly diverse, with gang members and mobsters coming from every background. Trad thinks the problem can be nipped in the bud by changing the way schools deal with Lebanese delinquents. Bassam Hamzy is one of NSW's most notorious prisoners having been convicted of killing, drug and gang offences. That family member has since been revealed to be Rafat Alameddine. 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. 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. 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. Killing and shooting and illegal activity have become part of daily life. 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. 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). 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. 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. Learn about Sydneys vicious criminal underworld. He would threaten to attack illegal establishments, such as casinos and brothels, unless they paid him a hefty wad of cash. 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. 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. Lebanese organized crime syndicates generally are active globally . 2023 TIME USA, LLC. 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. Both gangs had resumes that ran from car theft and rebirthing to protection, standover rackets and drugs. In that 8-year period, several men from each family were arrested, charged, and convicted for their crimes. 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 . "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. All products are independently selected, tested or recommended by our team of experts.If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission. And given the history of government efforts to obtain information on race, Im not even sure its something we should be doing. The first community of Lebanese in Australia were Maronite Christians, quickly followed by a large Muslim community. In the past there was a code among crime gangs in Sydney that bodies in the street were bad for business, says Michael Duffy, the author of Drive By, a new novel about a Lebanese crime family and the efforts of a bigoted, dispirited police force to lock them up. jeff zalaznick wedding lake compounce swap meet 2022 lebanese crime families sydney jyoti amge leg surgery video Uncategorized por | Publicada febrero 27, 2023 Osman was interrogated after returning from the Turkey and Syria border in 2015, as it was a designated no-go zone. Mejid Hamzy, brother. Australia's Pacific gangland. The family conflict between the Lebanese-Australian clans involved multiple murders, shootings, assaults and weapons thefts in western Sydney from 2001 to 2009. 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. Mohammad, better known as 'Butch',arrived at John's clifftop home and attempted to provoke a confrontation over money. 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. At 2am that Saturday, the home of Maha Hamze was shot at in a drive-by attack. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. At 2am that Saturday, the home of Maha Hamze was shot at in a drive-by attack. 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. 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. 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. RELATED: Man stabbed in the neck at Wynyard station in Sydney CBD. Lebanese mafia is a colloquial term for organized crime groups which origin from Lebanon and Levant. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. '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. But while life behind bars is intended to be a deterrent for reoffending, it was where Hamzy thrived. The one-eyed pallbearer was detained in 2015 after returning from Syria, where he claimed he was doing 'humanitarian work'. Lennie McPherson went from a boy sentenced to juvy to one of Australias most notorious career criminals in the 20th century. The main activities of Arab gangs in Australia are narcotics and weapons trafficking, extortion, prostitution, car theft and money laundering.