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. 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. 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. Do not sell or share my personal information. Crime is an essential part of the city's history. You just want more, Basha says. February 27, 2023 . 'This guy was well connected and loved by heaps of heavies. Then, when theyve proven themselves enough, they rise in the ranks and move onto larger scale illicit activity. Asian gangs in Sydney are the most prominent members of the criminal underworld; they control most of the money laundering that goes on in the city, often in the heart of the urban areas. 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. A pinch of common sense goes a long way toward helping you stay safe. Earlier we met Redfern-based Frank Hakim, the first major Lebanese criminal in Sydney, and younger men such as Louis Bayeh and Danny Karam. Before we can solve it we need to understand it, he says, and Im not sure we do.. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. Police believe up to 5,000 mafia members are operating in Australia, in league with their colleagues in Italy. Living In Sydney's "Crime Capital". - ramio1983 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. But below the surface of this lower-middle class success story is a Middle Eastern ghetto terrorized by members of its community. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. 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. 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 rationale behind targeting each other is obviously drug related. While they may be smaller compared to their city counterparts, theyre also one of the more dangerous groups. Most mob bosses dont last long as they are taken out by rival gangs or police operations. A member of the Alameddine crime family found with guns and cocaine in 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. He had connections everywhere: judges, politicians. '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. '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. 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. The recent brawl followed a similar fight last year behind bars between the two most infamous people with Hamzy and Alameddine as a surname. A former associate of Mejid's said his death really could spark an underworld war. Growing up in western Sydney, I was bullied and picked on for everything I did and stood for. According to Sydney police on 7news, they suspect that the conflict was between two rival gangs in Western Sydney. 'The rationale behind targeting each other is obviously drug related. The killings were straight out of a mafia . '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. Bassam's cousin Mohammed 'Little Crazy' Hamzy (right) is currently serving time in jail for shooting two men in 2012. I was lucky; I got a second chance. 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. During the 1990s, Lebanese-Australian gangs took hold of Sydney. When the Pistol Licensing Act of 1927 was passed, gangs had a much more difficult time accessing guns. 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. You could go and get advice off him about anything. The main center of Arab organized crime is Sydney, with a significant community of 120,000, followed by Melbourne. Published: 21:44 EST, 17 June 2021 | Updated: 23:28 EST, 17 June 2021. 'Bassam was big but Mejid is a different breed. Mohammad, better known as 'Butch', arrived at John Ibrahim's clifftop home and attempted to provoke a confrontation over money. Crime Families in Sidney: The Darwiche-Razzak-Fahda Family Conflict 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. 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. And while theyre still a long way off from completely getting gangs off the streets, theyre making a lot of progress. 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 organised criminal groups targeting each other,' Asst Comm Thurtell said. 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? lebanese crime families sydney Sydney's crime gang kingpins and their kill squads All rights reserved. Both gangs had resumes that ran from car theft and rebirthing to protection, standover rackets and drugs. 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. Their camps appear on the sides of roads or in empty parking lots, then after a few days, lebanese crime families sydney. lebanese crime families sydney - cuidadosygenero.colmex.mx They and their crew have established a stronghold around Merrylands - an area criminals have fought for control for years. 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. Gusty winds this evening. '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. Jihad Alameddine (right) has pleaded guilty to a charges including drug possession, drug driving and possessing equipment for administering drugs. Later that year, a second fight ensued. 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. Most of the gangs in Sydney are often offshoots of bigger, foreign organisations. LEBANESE FLOWER, Sydney - Restaurant Reviews, Photos - Tripadvisor Bilal's angst towards the Ibrahims was echoed by his cousin Mohammad last year when he tried to stand over nightclub boss John Ibrahim. Question about Lebanese in Australia : r/australia - reddit But Sydneys current underworld has fractured into several groups, all competing for control. The one-eyed pallbearer was detained in 2015 after returning from Syria, where he claimed he was doing 'humanitarian work'. Another source described the current situation in Sydney as being 'on a knife's edge'. 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. Talal Alameddine is the most infamous in his family, despite having numerous criminals among his relatives. Beware the TikTok Will Vladimir Putin's empress pay the ultimate price for his war on the West? In that 8-year period, several men from each family were arrested, charged, and convicted for their crimes. Crime Families in Sidney: The DarwicheRazzakFahda Family Conflict Three Australian-Lebanese crime families in Sydney the Darwiches, Razzaks, and Fahdas were involved in a. sydney crime families. Sydney crime bosses, on the other hand, tend to look more like seasoned thugs. At 2am that Saturday, the home of Maha Hamze was shot at in a drive-by attack. 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. One of the brawlers was spotted with a large knife in his hand. Lebanese organized crime syndicates generally are active . Then click on any blue marker to find out more. 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. 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. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. 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. . 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 aftermath of Hamad Assaad's death, a one-eyed man carried his coffin down the steps of Lakemba Mosque. In a separate recent shooting prominent gangster Samer Marcus was left fighting for life in hospital after being gunned down outside his parents' home. 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.'. Sydney crime families are a far cry from the gangsters and long trench coats we see on TV dramas. Most gangs settle in Sydney's rural areas, where police presence isn't as strong as it is in the city. This makes sense because of the presence in Australia and Asia of the triad criminal organisations, which are extremely efficient and Keep Reading, The so-called Mr Asia syndicate existed from 1976 to 1979 and was the first major heroin importer and distributor in Australia. 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. 'They are organised criminal groups targeting each other,' Asst Comm Thurtell said. lebanese crime families 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 in the Triple Frontier in South America. Crime Families at War: Luxurious police raid & the Hamzy and - YouTube 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. He became a Sydney celebrity because of his close relationship during the 1980s with corrupt police detective Roger Rogerson. He claimed he was there doing humanitarian work and has never been charged with a criminal offence. But these days its worse. At 2am that Saturday, the home of Maha Hamze was shot at in a drive-by attack. After being acquitted from a murder charge in 1940, Anderson moved to Sydney and established his rep as a standover man. Its difficult to say whos top dog in Sydneys criminal underworld at any given moment. 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. Sydney Crime Museum is an online history of crime in Sydney, which has often affected the lives of ordinary people and popular culture as well as corrupting the processes of policing, justice and government. Its activities were largely Keep Reading. He (Mejid) was one of the biggest names in Sydney,' they said. 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. Ibrahim came out and spoke with the heavily-tattooed Haouchar and calmed the situtation, but police eventually arrested and charged the would be intruder. Most of the crime families the squad deals with are "from the same three places in north Lebanon: Tripoli, el-Minieh and Akkar." Sydney's Lebanese community, estimated at 300,000, is the largest in Australia with the majority having arrived at Malcolm Fraser's discretion during the Lebanese civil war.