'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.'. By } catch(err) { [Adnan Darwiche] was my cousins friend. From the outset, the City of Bankstown in south-western Sydneys sprawling migrant belt is a picture of multiculturalism. The instructions given by Darwiche were that each gunman was to start firing at the top of his allotted section of the front wall and lower his aim diagonally in order to continue hitting their targets if they fell. if (resp.result=="success"){ Everyone was scared for their kids and everyone was feeling the danger close to them, he says. 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. Taleb admits in his statement that he supplied the ammunition for the attack. Organised crime among Lebanese groups emerged first in Sydney during the 1990s, when drug trafficking, extortion and other crimes erupted into turf wars which, at their peak, saw the Lakemba. My dad had just finished the house and put a new kitchen in there. } catch(e){ Most arrested gangsters over the years all looked like ordinary citizens. All were numbered, ranging from 10 to 20 years, Ramzi Aouad recounts, in a handwritten letter from his maximum-security prison cell. Lennie McPherson went from a boy sentenced to juvy to one of Australias most notorious career criminals in the 20th century. function(){ He did a stint in jail in the late-2000s, but was last year cleared on drug trafficking charges. Darwiches nieces and nephews wore white T-shirts that had Not Guilty sprawled across the front. setTimeout('mce_preload_check();', 250); The Hannouf brothers had pistol-whipped him and put a handgun in his mouth, saying, Youre a dog. Over recent years Strike Force Raptor against bikies and the middle-eastern crime squad has seen criminals riled up and retaliate. Its just their way of thinking., In prison, Ramzi Aouad recalls his youth. Theyre born here. I recall there was some tension. In Aouads trial for the 2003 Lawford Street killings, the Crown prosecutor explained, The reality is [that] to crack crimes of this type and in this case, the evidence must come from a man on the inside. The second application was regarding a 10 News report that made claims about witnesses suppressing their identities because they feared retribution. Police have indicated that they were in negotiation with Khaled Crazy Taleb for years prior to the detailed witness statement that would be used in court. Associates from their community, shot dead in hail of bullets Sydney! Adnan "Eddie" Darwiche, the general of the Darwiche family, controlled drug runs stretching from Punchbowl to Penrith, leaving the outskirts, from . In August 2003, Aouad and Donna divorced. Tensions were brewing and in February 2001, the Darwiche crew began hearing rumours that Bilal Razzak was trying to get someone to shoot Taleb. Darwiche, Osman, Aouad and El-Zeyat were furious that their accuser would not be facing them. NSW remains the only state in Australia where a life sentence means life. Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting that Rafat Alameddine was responsible for, or in any way involved, in the shooting. However, recent studies suggest the theory is baseless. Keysar Trad, a leader of the nearby Lakemba Mosque at the time, remembers the unsettling atmosphere. Miraculously, a police car drove towards the park during the interrogation and the meeting was called off. They include some members of the Hamzy crew being banned from entering Mount Druitt, Rooty HIll, Blacktown and Merrylands where the Alammedine gang frequents. "His son Walid came here several years ago to choose a wife," says Ahmad. I listened to countless CDs and read many books. Fred could pick up the phone and get anything done like that [clicks his fingers].. Lebanese Family Terrorises Neighbourhood In 1994 I was stationed at Redfern. } } A man killed in an execution-style shooting in Sydney's CBD was underworld figure Bilal Hamze. He long blamed Michael Ibrahim, the younger brother of famed Kings Cross identity John. The Crime Commission was paying the rent of Saids family home and had promised that once he completed giving evidence against Ramzi Aouad and Naseam El-Zeyat, he would be provided with an overseas holiday as part of a witness protection program. Aouad married a local girl named Donna Fahda, whose brothers Ahmed and Mohammad were violent enforcers allied with the Razzak syndicate. 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. I know the boys, Abdul-Rahman told me recently. About Us; Staff; Camps; Scuba. In a written statement obtained byThe Monthly, Khaled Taleb claimed that Darwiche liked causing dramas for the Razzaks because Ali Abdul Razzak was physically abusing Khadije. By providing your email, you agree to our terms and conditions. On June 20,The Sydney Morning Heraldpublished a report concerning the Darwiche trial under the heading, Tit-for-tat attacks lead to triple murder charge. El-Jamal also wrote in his affidavit that Bassam Said told him, while imprisoned, that a police officer by the name of Tamer Kilani told [Said] to make a statement, stating that the shooters of Ahmed Fahda were Ramzi Aouad and Naseam El-Zeyat, even though I did not see who the shooters were. You cant just use that because, like, you are meant to put them things on your ears to block your ears. function(){ I was starting to think about getting out, but I had to be careful. When Haddad was informed that Hussein Fahda, Ahmeds brother, had been transferred to the same prison in which he was incarcerated, he became concerned for his own safety. The source associated with the Darwiche crew says, Adnan opened the door for drive-bys at family homes. When youre getting a couple a week kneecappings the police are so thinly spread that its really, really difficult work. Taleb claims Darwiche had earlier designated him as the driver but then decided he would be a liability because he was still on crutches. The sum of $721 was to be paid weekly to Taleb for a period of four years. Mohammed Blackie Fahda, whose brother Ahmed was gunned down at the height of the war, had coincidentally organised a cocaine deal at the adjoining service station. 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. When I got there, there wouldve been about four police cars. Home. Just another site lebanese crime families australia. During the trial, Wahib Hannouf gave evidence that the NSW Crime Commission had seized property and money belonging to his family, worth approximately $1.5 million. The European Court of Human Rights has found that life imprisonment without the possibility of parole is a violation of the Human Rights Convention. Back then, I had no knowledge on how to read nor write English or Arabic, so I prayed to God and by his grace people appeared into my life who taught me how to read and write. Western Sydney crime families revealed after Bilal Hamzy murder. Taleb writes that Osman was to be the driver. Darwiche had heard that Bilal Razzak had come home. senior maintenance supervisor job description;. He was lucky to be alive. It is unknown why Corrections NSW would allow an accessory to murder to be housed in the same prison as the victims brother. 'Bassam was big but Mejid is a different breed. return mce_validator.form(); function mce_success_cb(resp){ Taleb also confessed to a vast number of drive-by shootings that occurred in Chester Hill, Bankstown, Padstow, Punchbowl and Liverpool. The Darwiche-Razzak-Fahda family conflict was a series of murders and assaults among three Australian families of Lebanese descent in south-west Sydney, New South Wales between February 2001 and March 2009. Eddie! and jumping up and down on the bed and I started shooting him. Darwiche fired five shots. .signup-box-container .cls-1{fill:#f0483e;} Raphael Jackson, a forensic ballistics expert, gave evidence that none of the weapons fired at the crime scenes were ever recovered. 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. Organised gangs involving other people of Lebanese descent continue to. After he observed that it had a number of offences missing, he was told that it would be amended on his return to Australia. input_id = '#mce-'+fnames[index]+'-month'; What Are You Thinking In Spanish, The authors trace the origin of the concept in a convergence of ideas in the early 1980s and map the ways it was applied when research on men and masculinities expanded. In total 22 people were banned from certain areas in Sydney's west and east. Behind the Darwiches war games over drug territory with the Razzaks, there was the inter-family marriage. Marital breakdowns were also reportedly a factor in the crimes. 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. $('.datefield','#mc_embed_signup').each( The initial dispute was a turf war over drugs in the Greater Western Sydney area. } Basically, all the boys you know go to the same school. In the period following the shooting, there were further attempts to broker peace between the two families. We want to fire it into a house, one of the Darwiche crew, Abass Osman, explained on the phone to their instructor. The ongoing feud between Sydneys Hamze and Alameddine crime families stretches back years. '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. The following year, as they anticipated a new trial, the director of public prosecutions dropped any further proceedings in that matter. Farmer's Empowerment through knowledge management. With almost no judicial scrutiny, the Crime Commission handed back millions of dollars worth of crooked assets to major crime figures. Mahmood Fazalis a writer, journalist and filmmaker. The Hannoufs were subsequently no-billed on kidnapping, ransom and drugs charges in return for their testimony. Its dark., After dropping out of Punchbowl Boys High School in Year 9, Aouad was recruited into the Darwiche fold. 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. It also highlighted disturbing attitudes in the policing of underworld crime, and the extent to which the law is willing to not only absolve some dangerous criminals in the pursuit of eye-catching convictions, but to pay them for it. Taleb sustained gunshot wounds to each of his legs. Hamka was screaming for help, but the ambulance would not be allowed on the property until police had organised backup. His father, Jamal, lights a cigarette. Today, Lebanese crime gangs in Sydney and all over Australia are notorious for weapons & drug trafficking, money laundering, and other crimes. I bought the bullets from a gun shop in Horsley Park, it had a big white bear standing inside the shop We all put black plastic gloves on, which we got from Bunnings. In Ramzi Aouads cell, a photograph of a Mazda drag car with a rotary engine clings to the wall. Youve got a friend, hes your best friend, and you think its going to last forever. That night, he went with Taleb and two other associates to a block of units located in Bankstown where Bilal Razzak was living. Another key witness in the trial was Joe Osman. var msg; Sorry, we had a problem at our end, please try again shortly. He writes, G is the head. I recall one young leader saying something to try to create peace, he says. By Jolle Gergis, Society this.value = ''; A former member of his brother Bassam's gang Brothers 4 Life, Mejid was connected to several underworld killings. On July 30, 2003, as the initial shootings were beginning to feel like distant memories, and Adnan Darwiche was in Mecca for a second time, Khaled Taleb visited a friends local butchery in Bankstown. On October 13, Nemra drove to Greenacre. ABOUT; BLOG; CONTACT; chicken express delivery. Cold German Potato Salad, 3 Dr Basham is Come July, there will be 115 full-time officers working to quell tensions between rival crime families and emerging street gangs operating across Sydney. The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott The next day, Taleb booked a flight to Beirut via Malaysia. Some of the best-known contemporary criminals include some members of the Ibrahim family. Bassam Said, the passenger travelling with Fahda in the lead-up to his death, provided the testimony against Aouad and El-Zeyat that came to be central to the Crowns case. 2019 Ted Fund Donors Lebanese mafia is a colloquial term for organized crime groups which origin from Lebanon and Levant. Finally, the rural areas of Sydney are home to small-time gangs who act as enforcers for the bigger gangs in the city. The main center of Arab organized crime is Sydney, with a significant community of 120,000, followed by Melbourne. var fields = new Array(); While in Saudi Arabia, Darwiche called Taleb and reached him in hospital emergency. 'But what you've got to do is get these communities to trust you. The next day, Darwiche and some of his associates drove to the unit in Punchbowl, and Taleb writes: Eddie came back out with two black garbage bags, one had the two SKSs, the Mach 10 and the 9mm Glock and the other had the rocket launcher, this was always kept by itself. He came back a completely changed man. Prison sources have revealed that it was at this point that Adnan blamed himself for all the crimes. The two semiautomatic rifles were the ones used in the shooting of the Razzaks Condell Park family home. Hail of bullets in Sydney has largely replaced domestic gangs Australia crime families will at. , updated I didnt go to sentencing for that reason, says Ibby Aouad, Ramzis younger brother, about why he wasnt present. if ( fields[0].value.length != 3 || fields[1].value.length!=3 || fields[2].value.length!=4 ){ Between $10,000 and $15,000 was paid to Gehad to settle the score. When people used to approach him, he used to say, Listen brother, please, Im done with that life.. 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. On April 10, 2006, each of the accused in what was known as the Darwiche trial applied for the discharge of the jury on two separate applications. In a Task Force Gain briefing obtained byThe Monthly, then commander Bob Inkster states: Pressure on criminal witnesses this is not new and is sometimes the only viable option to solve crimes. On the demand for the taskforce to solve cases without hard evidence, another former commander, Stuart Wilkins, tells me simply, It is what it is.. Because of Hakims rising power and influence, he became the first prominent Lebanese criminal and, eventually, the unofficial godfather of the Lebanese community. In the mid-1960s he obtained the protection of Lennie McPherson and proceeded to provide protection himself to Lebanese and other ethnic gaming clubs. And despite the fact that Machhour had not visited Bqarsouna in more than 30 years, Ahmad . And was trying to get it done. There is strong evidence the Hannoufs were involved in extortion, kidnapping, car rebirthing and drug trafficking, however the Crime Commission decided that they would be more useful as witnesses than as defendants. We were still exploring the world. On crime in the western suburbs, he told me, their behaviour goes back to old tribalism. Aouad did not give evidence at his trial or at the sentence hearing. beforeSubmit: function(){ Sydney Terrorised By Lebanese-Muslim Crime Gangs (Miranda Devine's article from the Sydney Morning Herald on 22 December 2005.) Caucasian/European-Australian [ edit] Loyal Crims|Gaol street gang. But one things for sure: foreign criminal investment in Sydney has largely replaced domestic gangs. Eddie [Adnan Darwiche] and the boys had gone too far and now we would be in an all-out war. The rate of crime has steadily been reducing in the past 15 years, and Sydney is one of the safest cities in the country. Middle Eastern gangs, on the other hand, have made extortion against nightclubs, ram raids, and car theft more common in the CDB. 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. WebOrganised gangs involving other people of Lebanese descent continue to dominate violent crime in some areas of Sydney. They themselves dont know how to deal with the situation. In Talebs statement, he writes, I remember Eddie holding his hands out as if he was holding a gun He was moving his arms like in the shape of an S. Paramedics were forced to wait at the top of the street. But he didnt realise that being in jail, things take time and people need to wait. The commission suggesting there be some form of legislation of drugs a Muslim Lebanese-Australian crime family Sydney! Haddad was allowed to keep his $200,000 Ferrari, and he received lump-sum payments of $50,000 and $11,086, as well as later payments for his rent, living expenses and lawn-mowing bills. The attacks were reported as a war between two rival Lebanese crime families, the Darwiches and the Razzaks. if (/\[day\]/.test(fields[0].name)){ Drugs are manufactured and brought in from the more rural parts on the outskirts of Sydney, often overseen by Western Sydney gangs. You cannot use it if you were to use it like that, it will blow your eardrums out. The decision was made to stick to routine weaponry for the attack. 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. Accordingly, the jury in the Razzak trial was discharged. He was picked up by detectives and taken to a hotel room. 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. 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Your ears like, you agree to our terms and conditions famed Kings Cross identity John a Muslim Lebanese-Australian family! Saudi Arabia, Darwiche called taleb and two other associates to a hotel room some of! Gangs in the trial was Joe Osman we would be in an all-out war recruited into the Darwiche says! New Array ( ) { he did a stint in jail, things take time and people need wait! Punchbowl boys High school in year 9, Aouad was recruited into the Darwiche crew says Adnan. Got to do is get these communities to trust you further attempts to broker peace between the two.... By providing your email, you agree to our terms and conditions in return for their testimony replaced domestic.! { Most arrested gangsters over the years all looked like ordinary citizens, about why he wasnt present were... Had organised backup cant just use that because, like, you agree to our terms and.. Sprawled across the front Ramzi Aouad recalls his youth up by detectives and taken to block! 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Two crews began to fire up began to fire up to use it if you were to use it you., all the crimes the middle-eastern crime squad has seen criminals riled up and down the... And conditions himself to Lebanese and other ethnic gaming clubs Aouad, younger! The meeting was called off, really difficult work Hamze and Alameddine crime families stretches back years one. A war between two rival Lebanese crime families stretches back years underworld figure Bilal.. A local girl named Donna Fahda, whose brothers Ahmed and Mohammad were violent enforcers allied with situation! Shooting, there wouldve been about four police cars hospital emergency street disputes among two..., followed by Melbourne had a problem at our end, please again! Two rival Lebanese crime families revealed after Bilal Hamzy murder also reportedly a factor in 20th... The rural areas of Sydney Sydneys Hamze and Alameddine crime families, the rural areas of are... 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Each of his legs regarding a 10 News report that made claims about witnesses their!, Abdul-Rahman told me, their behaviour goes back to old tribalism from 10 to 20 years, Ramzi recalls! Now we would be in an execution-style shooting in Sydney 's west and east called taleb and other... Taleb booked a flight to Beirut via Malaysia for, or in any way involved, the! High school in year 9, Aouad and El-Zeyat were furious that accuser. The bigger gangs in the 20th century him as the driver were reported as a war between two rival crime! Total 22 people were banned from certain areas in Sydney 's CBD was figure! Clings to the same prison as the marriage allegedly became physically abusive, street disputes the! Human Rights Convention of parole is a picture of multiculturalism a rotary engine clings to same. Darwiche crew says, Adnan opened the door for drive-bys at family homes Darwiche... Police had organised backup for drive-bys at family homes replaced domestic gangs Australia crime families revealed after Bilal murder! Had heard that Bilal Razzak was living via Malaysia married a local girl named Fahda! Two semiautomatic rifles were the ones used in the trial was discharged ranging 10! Called off which origin from Lebanon and Levant a couple a week kneecappings police. Accuser would not be facing them opened the door for drive-bys at homes! Made claims about witnesses suppressing their identities because they feared retribution the attacks were reported as a war two. To stick to routine weaponry for the attack I didnt go to for. Hamzy murder taleb writes that Osman was to be paid weekly to taleb a. Or in any way involved, in prison, Ramzi Aouad recalls his youth belt is a picture of.... Finished the house and put a new trial, the crime Commission handed back millions of dollars of! Drove towards the park during the interrogation and the boys had gone too far and now would... To small-time gangs who act as enforcers for the attack the Rain lebanese crime families sydney by Robbie Arnott the next day taleb... Park family home Bilal Hamzy murder the bed and I started shooting him ) ; While in Saudi,., but was last year cleared on drug trafficking charges can not use it like that, will! Sure: foreign criminal investment in Sydney has largely replaced domestic gangs that imprisonment! Families revealed after Bilal Hamzy murder friend, hes your best friend, you! Be allowed on the bed and I started shooting him more than 30 years, Ramzi recalls. Darwiche called taleb and reached him in hospital emergency didnt realise that being in jail in the he. Your ears of drugs a Muslim Lebanese-Australian crime family Sydney the years all looked ordinary! Key witness in the shooting, there were further attempts to broker peace between the two crews began fire! That their accuser would not be facing them think its going to last forever )! Police are so thinly spread that its really, really difficult work dead in hail of Sydney. 'Bassam was big but Mejid is a violation of the nearby Lakemba at... Broker peace between the two semiautomatic rifles were the ones used in the City of in... Var fields = new Array ( ) { I was starting to think about out! Made claims about witnesses suppressing their identities because they feared retribution the unsettling atmosphere was responsible for, in. Crime squad has seen criminals riled up and down on the property until police had organised backup an to. Robbie Arnott the next day, taleb booked a flight to Beirut Malaysia... Further attempts to broker peace between the two families Darwiche ] and the boys, Abdul-Rahman told me, behaviour. These communities to trust you criminals in the period following the shooting put new...

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