Rate Provo's attorneys or make an appointment at Most gangs settle in Sydneys rural areas, where police presence isnt as strong as it is in the city. Youre learning. According to court documents, he was told by police that he would be charged as an accessory after the fact. However, the sentence for which Aouad is imprisoned today was not associated with the murder of Fahda. United Way. He (Mejid) was one of the biggest names in Sydney,' they said. And despite the fact that Machhour had not visited Bqarsouna in more than 30 years, Ahmad maintains that he kept strong links. You get a bit of freedom; your parents let you go out. Fahda hopped out and began pushing the car to the closest service station. The Crime Commission returned the seized money and assets to the Hannoufs, but not before deducting $200,000 for their own expenses. The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott You could smell the gunpowder.. 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. I listened to countless CDs and read many books. Those payments started after detectives Oxford and Tuckerman had taken his statement in Beirut and had returned to Australia. They and their crew have established a stronghold around Merrylands - an area criminals have fought for control for years. published by Schwartz Media. It easy for youngsters from the Cabramatta inquiry about the Lebs the crime families Sydney community! Eventually, he decided to make the pilgrimage to Mecca with Khaled Taleb in 2002. As many as 30 major crime families in Sydney's southwest are involved in a battle for the city's multi-billion-dollar drug trade . What have the years, you know, what have the years given you? She breaks down in tears, and says, He hides behind a smile., In a phone call, Aouad rekindles his family memories. 'But what you've got to do is get these communities to trust you. Her view is supported by police spokesman Peter Debnam, who said the family-feud story was a smokescreen for an escalating criminal turf war. All were armed. He wasnt mentally stable, he wasnt all there, says former youth worker Fadi Abdul-Rahman. They believed that person was a member of the Haouchar crime gang. Theyd get bricks thrown at their cars, says former commander of support for Task Force Gain, Detective Superintendent Stuart Wilkins. And in the absence of a bill of rights in Australia, it is unlikely that Darwiche, El-Zeyat and Aouads sentencing will raise any legal issues. 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. script.src = 'http://downloads.mailchimp.com/js/jquery.form-n-validate.js'; Sydney's western suburbs have long played home to dangerous criminal groups Among them were brothers Mejid and Bassam Hamzy, who is currently in prison Police believe Mejid may have been. Theyd get surrounded. We then sprayed them with some gun oil that was in a yellow spray can. Each round was wiped clean, so that it wouldnt jam, and loaded into the guns magazines. I recently spoke to former NSW assistant police commissioner Ken McKay, known within the force as Slasher, who was instrumental in setting up the squad. In 2011, on the same day former Crime Commission assistant director Mark Standen was found guilty of using his position to pervert the course of justice, as well as conspiring to import and supply 300 kilograms of pseudoephedrine (a chemical precursor to methamphetamine), newly appointed police minister Michael Gallacher announced a review of the Crime Commission. function(){ The deed was executed on July 8, 2006, and made provision for the sum of $240 to be paid weekly to his family members named in the deed. A third unknown associate fired 11 rounds from a handgun into a white Mazda that was parked outside the house. Earlier we met Redfern-based Frank Hakim, the first major Lebanese criminal in Sydney, and younger men such as Louis Bayeh and Danny Karam. Sheikh Taj Al-din al-Hilali, who was giving a sermon at the Lakemba Mosque on the day of the murder, recalls the tension within the community. He made it okay to shoot houses.. By Reconciliation and the promise of an Australian homecoming 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. } else if (ftypes[index]=='date'){ 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. I said to [El-Zeyat], Did you shoot him? He said, Yeah. Who was with you? He said, Me, Eddie [Darwiche], Fidel. In the western suburbs, Ramzi Aouad was known as Fidel because of his resemblance to Fidel Castro. this.value = ''; msg = resp.msg; Fifteen people were arrested and charged with firearms, drugs and other offences. Articles L, //