The Alameddine crime network is an Australian organised crime group that operates out of the Western Sydney suburb of Merrylands. The gang, which is led by Rafat Alameddine,[1] is allegedly one of the biggest drug-trafficking organisations in Sydney, with New South Wales Police declaring the organisation to have reportedly earned around $1 million in weekly profit at its peak.[2] Since October 2020, the Alameddines have grown to public notoriety in connection to an extended feud they became involved in with the Hamzy/Hamze crime family, the most dominant faction of the Brothers for Life organisation, within the Sydney gangland war of the early 2020s.[3][4] The Alameddine family is also linked to the street gang Proper60, as referenced by Ali 'Ay Huncho' Younes in his music.[5] As of March 2024, police in Australia claim to have dismantled the remnants of the notorious Alameddine crime gang after a series of raids led to over a dozen arrests, including rapper Ali "Ay Huncho" Younes. A 250-officer operation in south-west Sydney at 3 a.m. on Wednesday targeted a major drug network following the shutdown of 26 "drug-run phones" linked to over 50,000 users. Authorities believe they have "eradicated" the gang's presence in the country.[6]
Connection to the Curtis Cheng murder and links to Islamic extremism
In October 2015, Talal Alameddine, who was accused of supplying the firearm used in the fatal shooting of NSW Police accountant Curtis Cheng, was denied bail and scheduled to appear in court on 10 December of that year. His co-accused, Raban Alou, who was also charged in connection with the attack, remained in custody and faced the possibility of life imprisonment if convicted.[7]
In connection with the 2015 Parramatta shooting, Rafat Alameddine's brother Talal pleaded guilty to "recklessly possessing a thing connected with a terrorist act and supplying a pistol" in October 2017. In May 2018, Talal was sentenced by Judge Peter Johnson in the Supreme Court of New South Wales to 17 years and 8 months, with a minimum term of 13½ years. His earliest projected release date is in 2029.[8][9]
During legal proceedings, Talal Alameddine famously remarked 'my beard is for ISIS' to officials, implying a potential connection, whether literal or ideological, between the network and Islamic extremist groups.[10]
A 2015 police report declared that Bilal Alameddine, then between 16 and 17 years of age, had attempted to fly to the Middle East to make his way to Syria to join ISIS.[11] Bilal denied allegations that the trip was connected to the Islamic State and said he was going to North Macedonia on holiday.[11]
Alameddine member and associate Samimjan Azari is also reportedly related to Omarjan Azari, one of 19 men who were charged in 2014 with planning a mass beheading terrorist attack.[12] Samimjan Azari was also on the list of many individuals that alleged Islamic State terrorist Ahmad Saiyer Naizman was banned from contacting.[13]
On 11 December 2017, Mark Morri of The Daily Telegraph reported that terrorist Man Haron Monis had purchased the shotgun used in the Lindt Cafe siege from a "well-known Middle Eastern crime family" 48 hours before the attack.[14] Morri confirmed that the Alameddines were "not alleged to have sold the gun to Monis," though it remains likely that one of the Alameddines' allies may have, such as, potentially, the Hauochar Clan.[14] However, police declared that while they received extensive intelligence regarding the weapon transaction, they were unable to materialise charges about the event.[14]
Alameddine's long-time allies, the Hauochars, have also been linked to alleged extremist activity.[15] In 2015, Osman Hauochar travelled to the Syria-Turkey border, where he claimed to have been doing “humanitarian work.” He was questioned by officials upon his return to Australia.[15]
After the arrests of the Alameddine family's R4W subset, the New South Wales Police Force alleged links between the gang and Islamic extremism.[16] On 25 May 2022, The Daily Telegraph reported that court papers identified "members of the group downloading and watching promotional videos produced by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) that encourage terrorist acts and violent extremism.”[16]
Counter-terror police sting
From May to June 2017, an undercover police operation was commenced by the counter-terrorism unit targeting illicit weapons and drug supply.[17] An undercover policeman dubbed 'M' in court documents met with Bilal Alameddine and Samimjan Azari on five occasions. Across these get-togethers, Azari and Alameddine supplied officer 'M' with "seven firearms, including a shotgun, bolt-action rifle, lever-action rifle, and 507 grams of cocaine."[17]
On the first meeting between the men and the cop, which occurred on 5 May 2017, Alameddine and Azari met 'M' on a street in Guildford.[17] Alameddine then got into the backseat of 'M's vehicle and brandished a 9mm Desert Eagle pistol from his pants, alongside two empty boxes of magazines. 'M' reportedly paid the men $28,000 in cash in this transaction.[17]
On a later occasion, Azari supplied Officer 'M' with $32,000 worth of cocaine, which was allegedly packaged in “vacuum-sealed plastic packets.”[17]
On 30 June 2017, the New South Wales Police Force swooped on the pair at a Bunnings carpark in Lidcombe and seized BlackBerry mobile phones, 283 grams of cocaine, and about $70,000 in cash.[17] A further $51,840, suspected by police to be the proceeds of crime, were later seized from Azari's residence in Merrylands.[17]
At the time of their alleged offense, Bilal Alameddine and Samimjan Azari were both only 18 years of age.[17] As of an article published in The Daily Telegraph on 15 May 2020, Alameddine and Azari had both pleaded guilty to unlawfully supplying firearms and supplying about 500 grams of cocaine. Alameddine then also pleaded guilty to "supplying ammunition and two counts of supplying a pistol part" on 12 May 2020. Azari, in addition to his main charges, also pleaded guilty to "six form-one offences relating to the unauthorised supply of pistol parts, ammunition, and the MDMA and cash found in his home."[17] As of the 15 May 2020 article, Bilal Alameddine was represented by lawyer Peter Lange.[17] While awaiting sentencing, Alameddine was in confinement at Long Bay Correctional Centre.[17] Alameddine, whose date of birth was listed in court filings as 4 September 1998,[18] was sentenced to "an aggregate sentence of 6 years from 30 June 2017 to 29 June 2023 with an aggregate non-parole period of 3 years expiring on 29 June 2020."[18]
In 2020 and 2021, Bilal Alameddine was refused early release by the State Parole Authority.[11]
On 11 August 2021, the Sydney Morning Herald published an article that identified solicitor Abdulrahim 'Abdul' Saddik[19] as the head of Bilal's legal team, and Tomislav Bicanic as his barrister.[20] Abdul Saddik also represents many other members of the Alameddine clan, including Trente Jeske,[19] Ali 'Ay Huncho' Younes[19] and Asaad Alahmad,[19] as well as Talal,[19] Hamdi,[19] and family boss Rafat.[21]
On 14 November 2022, The Daily Telegraph reported that Bilal Alameddine was set to be released from jail on parole within "a matter of weeks."[11]
Azari's sentencing in this case is unclear based on online sources, though it is known that he was at least out of prison as early as June 2023, when he was involved in a public-place brawl at Pitt Street Mall with other senior Alameddine clan members.[22]
Brothers for Life infighting
In the early-to-mid 2010s, the Brothers for Life gang was in civil war, with the Lebanese Bankstown chapter and the Afghani Blacktown chapter engaging in tit-for-tat shootings between 2012 and 2014.[23] As reported by The Daily Telegraph in November 2016, Masood Zakaria, despite being Afghani himself,[24] was a member of B4L's Bankstown crew at the time of the conflict. The faction of Brothers for Life, which Masood was part of, was led by Mohammad "Little Crazy" Hamzy,[23] a member of the crime family he would soon be at war against. During the conflict with the Blacktown chapter, on 4 November 2013, Zakaria's then 14-year-old sister was struck with 300 shotgun pellets to her spine, lungs, and chest and suffered life-altering injuries.[25] According to The Daily Telegraph, Zakaria also used to be a lieutenant in the Comanchero Motorcycle Club under former sergeant-at-arms Tarek Zahed.[26]
Sometime in October 2018, Talal Alameddine got into a brawl with fellow Goulburn Correctional Centre inmate Bassam Hamzy, founder of the Brothers for Life organisation.[27]
On 15 June 2019, Rafat, Richad, and Hamdi Alameddine were involved in a brawl at Westfield Parramatta with another group known to them at around three o'clock in the afternoon. The trio turned themselves in at Parramatta Police Station on the morning of 22 July, a little more than a month after the melee. They were charged with affray.[28]
Known business links
In December 2016, Masood Zakaria registered a company known as Prestige Management Group. Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) deregistered the business in 2020, as it was "either inactive or hadn't filed appropriate documents with corporate regulators on time".[29] However, Zakaria had registered a separate company, known as Zak Projects, sometime in 2018.[29] The wife of Ali 'Ay Huncho' Younes, Ezzat Alameddine, was reportedly in business with Zakaria. She was listed as a director of the since-delisted Prestige Management Group. She was arrested on 15 December 2021, during a police search for Zakaria, and as of 6 February 2022, she was facing charges for allegedly using fraudulent documents to purchase her home.[29]
In June 2017, Hamdi Alameddine registered a tree lopping company. It is registered as operating from one of the Alameddines family homes in Merrylands.[29]
Sometime in July 2018, Jihad Alameddine registered a company called Fastway Projects Management. It was deregistered by ASIC in July 2021.[29]
In 2018, Rafat Alameddine registered a company called 'Australian Investment Managers'. ASIC deregistered the company in September 2021.[29] As of a The Daily Telegraph article published on 5 February 2022, Rafat had registered a new company known as 'MSJ Group'.[29]
Alameddine family associate Mohammad 'Almo' Alameddine was served a ban listing 24 underworld figures he was no longer allowed to associate with.[30] This list included Elly Greenfield, who was listed as being 30 years of age as of an article published on 23 August 2022.[30] Greenfield has also gained media coverage for her links to reputed underworld figure Luke 'Fat Boy' Sparos, who in the past, she had provided a $100,000 surety for whilst he was seeking bail on charges connected to the November 2020 attempted murder of DLASTHR gangster Samer Marcus.[31] The extent of Greenfield's involvement in the underworld is unclear. She is the sole director of a company called Unique Wedding Cars and Limousines.[31] Greenfield also has links to Yowie Bay discount carpet seller Leo Lewin, a fellow businessperson who also previously operated a business called Tyres for Less. It is unknown whether he is still involved in that business. In 2017, Racing New South Wales withdrew Lewin's bookmaking license because he “demonstrated association with known violent criminals/persons of extreme ill repute”. It was also alleged that Lewin had provided known crime figures with employment, cars, carpet and houses to live in, and had been “offering accommodation at (his) family residence to a criminal on parole”.[31]
The Alameddine family is also known to have several ties to junior Rugby League in Western Sydney- with relatives coaching several sides in the local Parramatta competition.[32] In 2022, Hamdi Alameddine was pictured at a junior football matched which was also attended by Ivan and Nathan Cleary.[32]
On 24 January 2023, The Daily Telegraph reported that a key part of New South Wales Police Force Strike Force Sugarcane, which targeted Alameddine sub-set 'R4W', was centred around the 'MobileTown' phone store in Granville.[33] In the raids against the gang, the owner/manager of the store, Nou Silena Loeung, was charged with 27 offences.[33] Police alleged that Loeung had sold thousands of fraudulent SIM cards to members of the organisation, which had then facilitated R4W's drug distribution business.[33]
Rafat Alameddine, alleged leader of the notorious Alameddine crime gang, launched a new renovation business, Sydney Lavish Renovations, just days after police arrested 18 alleged gang affiliates in a major crackdown.
Alameddine associate Jacob Najjar owns and operates well-known acai cafe-chain Thirsty Monkey.[34]
Links to Rugby League
On 20 May 2016, Alameddine family members Rafat, Jihad and Richad Alameddine, as well as Former Nomads bikie Paul Younan, were photographed dining at the Golden Century Chinese Restaurant at The Star, Sydney with National Rugby League star-players James Segeyaro, Corey Norman, and Junior Paulo.
[35]
Parramatta Eels players Corey Norman and Junior Paulo, along with Penrith Panthers' James Segeyaro, received police warnings for consorting with criminals following this encounter.[36][37]
Fellow National Rugby League star Beau Ryan was also videoed with members of the group, however, Ryan claimed to have just run into the men whilst he was there dining there separately and claimed he didn't have prior knowledge of their criminal associations.[35] Paul Younan was arrested for the 2009 Gold Coast murder of Omega Ruston in February 2022.[38]
On 18 August 2022, The Daily Telegraph reported that "The Alameddine clan is known to have deep ties to junior Rugby League with relatives coaching several sides in the local Parramatta competition"[32] after Hamdi Alameddine was pictured at a junior football event. Nathan Cleary and Ivan Cleary were also pictured in attendance at the same match.[32]
National Rugby League player Jason Saab, a winger for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, attended the funeral of Alameddine family gangster Murat Gulasi in 2022.[39] Jason may be related to Sydney underworld figure Mohammad Saab, who survived a shooting in Turrella in August 2020.[40] Mohammad was one of the 24 underworld figures who Mohammad 'Almo' Alameddine was banned from associating with by the New South Wales Police Force.[30]
History with the Hamzy, Elmir and Ahmad clans
Marital ties with the Hamzy family
Tensions between the Alameddine and Hamzy families date back as far as the 1990s, when Mejida Hamzy chose to marry into the Alameddine family against her father Khaled's wishes.[41] Mejida was the older sister of siblings Bassam, Mejid and Ghassan (Amoun).[41] Hamzy family members, such as Bassam, reportedly refused to attend.[41] In particular, Khaled Hamzy was strongly against the union; however, he was imprisoned at the time anyway.[41] Mejida remains married into the Alameddine family, and she is reportedly the only inner-member of the Alameddines which her relatives subject to the (SCPOs) can speak to.[41] Not much is known of her, other than that she frequents the Hamzy family home in Auburn, and that she had shared a strong bond with her younger brother Mejid.[41]
Links with 2016/2017 gang war: Elmirs, Ahmads and Hamzys
In 2016, Sydney erupted into gang war with two other notorious families at the centre; the Elmirs, and the Ahmads.[42] The war began when Safwan Charbaji, a relative of Steven Elmir, was shot to death at a smash-repair shop by Walid 'Wally' Ahmad in April 2016.[43][4] Walid himself was then murdered later that month in Bankstown by Elmir associate Hamad Assad.[43] Assad then met his own fate a few months later on 25 October,[4] and Mejid Hamzy was the key suspect in his murder. The final death the New South Wales Police Force believe to be linked to this feud was that of Kemel 'Blackie' Barakat, a Hells Angels associate who worked as an enforcer for the Ahmad Family, on 10 March 2017.[4] Emed Sleiman, who was previously convicted of murdering innocent man Jason Burton in 1997, was then shot in the chest and leg in Auburn on March 28.[44]The Daily Telegraph reported that Sleiman was suspected of killing Barakat,
[45]
and that he had allegedly directly texted Frank Criniti, then-owner of the since-bust Crinitis restaurant chain, on the night of the murder to book a table- which he then lied about in court.[45] Safwan Charbaji was an associate of relatives in the Alameddine Clan, whereas Walid 'Wally' Ahmad was a known associate of the Hamzys. Hamad Assad, a self-branded 'executioner'[4] for the Elmirs, was suspected of being behind the 2013 shooting of Brothers for Life founder Bassam Hamzy's aunt Maha Hamze,[4] allegedly in conjunction with infamous Sydney criminal Reynold Glover.
[46] Glover, who is now imprisoned for life, was a close friend of Bilal Hauochar.[46] At the time of the shooting against Maha, Bilal Hauochar was a close friend of the Alameddines.
[47] The shooting of Hamze, who was Bilal Hamze's mother, was in retaliation for a scrapped debt-collection job which Reynold Glover had organised Bilal (Hamze) to complete through talks with Bassam Hamzy, a fellow inmate he was friendly with at Goulburn Correctional Centre.[46] When the $20,000 job was cancelled by Glover, Bilal (Hamze), still wishing to be paid, decided to recoup some of the money he had lost by extorting Glover's mother for $5,000.[46] This then provoked Glover to shoot Maha when he was out of prison, thereby souring his relationship with Bassam from then onwards.[46] Despite the Hamzy Clan's relationship with the Ahmad Family, and the fact that the Ahmads were responsible for killing Alameddine associate Charbaji, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that in April 2021, Bilal Alameddine wrote a friendly letter to Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad.[20] Mahmoud himself was in prison at the time serving a manslaughter charge in connection with the Charbaji murder.[20]
On 28 March 2022, The Daily Telegraph published an article stating that Masood Zakaria's escape from Sydney to Turkey, via Perth and Malaysia, was facilitated by Fawaz Elmir, who was based in Lebanon at the time, at a cost of between $500,000 and $750,000.[26] This suggests that the Alameddines and Elmirs are still allies.[26]
The 2022 Comanchero–Ahmad skirmish
In 2022, The Comanchero Motorcycle Club, who were close allies and business partners of the Alameddines through Mohammad 'Almo' Alameddine, and the Ahmads, close allies of the Hamzys, were involved in a 2-and-a-half week spat of shootings that saw three high-profile murders.[48] Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad was murdered after a wild few months out of jail on 27 April 2022.[48] On 10 May 2022, a high-profile double shooting grievously injured Comanchero Motorcycle Club sergeant-at-arms Tarek Zahed, and killed his gangster-brother Omar.[48] Four days later, Mahmoud's nephew Rami Iskander, who was suspected of involvement in the Zahed shooting,
[49] was murdered in Belmore.[50]
On 23 February 2023, a TikTok video published by The Daily Telegraph stated that high-profile gangsters Youssef 'Gags' Ahmad and Mohammad 'Little Crazy' Hamzy had both been denied parole, with the New South Wales Police Force suspecting that the two would form an alliance with one another if freed,[51] suggesting that the friendliness between Bilal Alameddine and the Ahmads had, at latest, came to an end by then- if it hadn't already years prior.
Alameddine–Hamzy war (2020–2022)
On 9 June 2020, the home of Alameddine associate Shaylin Zreika was shot up in a drive-by shooting in Westmead.[52] It is unclear whether this shooting was related to any tensions with the Hamzys.
On 14 October 2020, members of the Hamze/Hamzy crime family began attempting to standover Alameddine associate Shaylin Zreika. A police affidavit declared that Ibrahem Hamze, Tareek Hamze and Haysem Hamze attacked Zreika with a metal pole in Sefton, and then stole his mobile phone.[53]
On 16 October 2020, an unnamed member of the Alameddines was robbed of drugs by members of the Hamze/Hamzy crime family.[54] Around the same time period, 400kg of cocaine had also been stolen from Sydney-based members of the Comanchero Motorcycle Club, who at the time were allied with the Alameddines. Mejid Hamzy was wrongly suspected of orchestrating the drug-rip.[54]
On 17 October 2020, the Auburn home of Maha Hamze and other members of the Hamze/Hamzy family was peppered with bullets in a drive-by shooting. Maha Hamze, the matriarch of the family, is not thought to be involved in the family business.[55]
On 19 October 2020, at 12:35am, Rafat Alameddine's house was shot up in Merrylands.[55]
On 19 October 2020, at 7:34am, almost exactly seven hours later, Mejid Hamzy was shot to death outside his home in Condell Park by Alameddine associates.[55] This was the first murder of the Hamzy/Alameddine conflict.
On 23 November 2020, a 17-year-old associate of the Alameddine family was shot in South Granville.[1]
On 30 January 2021, Fire & Rescue New South Wales were called to extinguish a car-fire on Hume Road in Smithfield. As they tended to the blaze, 22 year old Alameddine associate Mejed Derbas was discovered shot-to-death inside the vehicle. Derbas was allegedly a "mid-level drug dealer" in the organisation, and was killed supposedly because of ongoing internal conflict.[57]
On 30 January 2021, innocent father Mustafa Namaan was shot to death in Hurstville in a fatal case of mistaken identity. Police believe Namaan was murdered by associates of the Alameddine family who mistook Namaan for Ibrahem Hamze.[1]
On 15 February 2021, Maha Hamze's unit block was shot up by Alameddine associates for the second time, with a stray bullet narrowly missing a nurse at nearby Auburn Hospital.[1]
On 12 March 2021, the home of Asaad Alahmad, Rafat Alameddine's brother-in-law, was shot up in Guildford.[1]
On 8 June 2021, Assad Alahmad was shot in the neck in Guildford. At the time, the New South Wales Police Force did not believe this shooting was part of the ongoing Hamzy/Alameddine feud.[1] However, a report published on 27 November 2023 by well-known The Daily Telegraph crime reporter Josh Hanrahan declared that Salim Hamze was responsible for the Alahmad shooting.[58]
On 17 June 2021, prominent Hamze/Hamzy crime family member Bilal Hamze, who had previously attempted to be a peacekeeper between the crews, was shot to death on Bridge Street in the Sydney central business district after leaving the Kid Kyoto restaurant, which is owned by Sam Prince.[1]
On 14 July 2021, Alameddine associates Ezzaddine and Mohammad Omar were arrested for the Mejid Hamzy murder.[1]
On 6 August 2021, Alameddine associate Shady Kanj, 22, was shot to death in Chester Hill.[52][59] In an article published on 27 November 2023, The Daily Telegraph reported that Kanj was murdered by Salim Hamze.[58] Before the murder, a text had been sent to Kanj asking for a delivery of cocaine to Boundary Road in Chester Hill.[60] When Kanj arrived, accompanied by fellow associate Wessam El Jajieh, a group of four men approached his vehicle, and Kanj was shot to death. Once Kanj was shot, Jajieh sped away from the scene, with Hamze continuing fire as he made his escape. A total of 13 shots were fired. Whilst Hamze fired at Jajieh, a stray bullet struck innocent bystander Ramadan Osman in the head a few hundred metres away.[60]
On 14 August 2021, two armed and masked men in a stolen Mercedes were pulled over and arrested in North Sydney, and charged with conspiring to murder alleged Hamzy/Hamze Crime Family boss Ibrahem Hamze. As of March 24, 2022, three men were charged in connection to the foiled murder plot. These men were Samuel John Rokomaqisa, Joseph 'Jo Fresh' Vokai, and an unnamed 19 year old.[61] Police sources stated that Vokai was viewed as the leader of the infamous Islander gang KVT, who have regularly been used as muscle by the Alameddines.[62]
On 3 September 2021, Salim Hamze shot at a car containing Asaad Alahmad, Adam Achrafi, and Khodar Hamad in Granville.[60]
On 20 October 2021, Young Hamzy/Hamze Crime Family drug-runner Salim Hamze, 18, and his innocent father Toufik, 64, were shot to death while they sat in a car outside their Guildford home.[1] Salim and Toufik were the 3rd and 4th members of the Hamzy Family to die within a year.
On 10 November 2021, Alameddine/R4W member Bilal Mahfoud was shot at while he sat on the front patio of his Guildford home.[33]
On 29 November 2021, Alameddine associate Murat Gulasi was shot in the leg at a gym in Prospect.[63] Fiti Ah-Cheung and Joseph 'Freddy14' Howard were charged over the shooting, along with crime boss Ibrahem Hamze.[64] Ah-Cheung and Howard are believed to associates of the 'RFA' (Ready For Anything) gang, which is strongly linked to Mount Druitt gang Onefour.[65] The victim of the shooting, Murat Gulasi, later died of unrelated causes at a gym in Istanbul shortly after fleeing the country.[66]
On 6 January 2022, Ghassan Amoun, the brother of Mejid Hamzy and imprisoned Hamzy family founder Bassam Hamzy, was shot to death after leaving a beauty salon in South Wentworthville.[1] According to The Daily Telegraph reporter Mark Morri, as stated in Episode 3 of the award-winning 'The War' series, he had only been out of jail for three days before he was murdered.[47] Amoun bore a different last name to his brothers Mejid and Bassam as he had opted to go by his mother's maiden name.[47] Amoun was the fifth and last member of the Hamzy/Hamze Clan to be murdered during the war, as of May 2024.
On 16 January 2022, The Daily Telegraph reported that well-known Sydney underworld figure Mustafa Ramlawie, previously a friend to both the Hamzy Family and the Alameddine Family, had had a $1 million bounty placed on his head by the Hamzys.[67] This came after the Hamzys interpreted a lack of contact from Ramlawie throughout the conflict as him having sided with the Alameddines.[67] Mustafa Ramlawie, as well as Mustafa's relative Khaled, were both on the list of 24 criminal figures that police sought to ban Mohammad 'Almo' Alameddine from associating with in 2022.[30]
On 20 January 2022, a utility truck containing two individuals, believed to be associates of Mohammad 'Almo' Alameddine, was shot at on Ostend St in South Granville.[52]
On 23 January 2022, Talal Alameddine was stabbed in a brawl in Goulburn Correctional Centre.[68] It is unclear whether the attack on Talal was related to the ongoing conflict.
On 25 January 2022, the war came to a halt as the remaining members of the Hamzy family hierarchy were arrested.[64] Alleged Hamzy family boss Ibrahem 'Ibby' Hamze was arrested in Queensland and extradited to New South Wales, and charged with soliciting the attempted murder of Murat Gulasi.[64] On the same day, senior Hamzy clan members Bilal El-Chamy, Ahmed El-Chamy, Tareek Hamzy and Haissam Hamzy were arrested for the September 2021 kidnapping and stabbing of a man (supposedly an Alameddine associate) for failing to provide fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination certificates.[64]
FriendlyJordies fire bombing
In December 2023, Alameddine family associate Tufi Junior Tauese-Auelua,[69] then 37, was arrested by police and charged with two counts of destroying or damaging property by fire after allegedly firebombing the house of Jordan Shanks twice within a period of two weeks. Shanks, known by his YouTube handle 'friendlyjordies', had revealed links between the Coronation Property Group, former Deputy-Premier John Barilaro, and the Alameddine network in a lengthy exposé entitled 'Coronation', which was posted on YouTube on 19 August 2022 before being removed from the platform on 1 February 2024.[70][71] Shanks' Bondi rental was firebombed sometime in November 2022, with another attempt to firebomb the same house having occurred the previous week.[72] The New South Wales Police Force stated that there was a "strong possibility" that the attack against Shanks was done in retaliation for the video.[71][73]
Relationship with the Haouchar crime family
The Daily Telegraph reported that Rafat Alameddine spent time as a younger man shadowing Bilal Haouchar, and learning the criminal trade under his guidance.[47] Bilal Hauochar is the boss of the Hauochar Crime Family- one of Sydney's biggest criminal enterprises.[74]
On 11 August 2021, the Sydney Morning Herald published a photograph which showed Rafat and Bilal Alameddine dining with Osman Hauochar, seemingly at a wedding, sometime before Bilal's arrest and imprisonment in June 2017.[20]
On 27 October 2021, Alameddine member Ali Elmoubayed, and associates Abdul Zreika and Bailey Togiavalu, were arrested for violently bashing Mohamad “Butch” Haouchar.[75] Hauochar had verbally abused senior Alameddine figures in a video. According to police, Hauochar had said “F.... Rafat (Alameddine), f... Hamdi (Alameddine), f... Talal (Alameddine), f... the lot of youse”.[75] It is unclear whether the assault on Butch had any impact the relationship between the Hauochar and Alameddine Families, as Butch is known for several high-publicity acts of foolishness, such as when he showed up at John Ibrahim's home in Dover Heights and attempted to extort him.[76] Therefore, it is likely that Butch isn't intimately involved in the family business.
In November 2022, Rafat Alameddine left Sydney a free man, and travelled to live in Lebanon. Bilal Hauochar had been living in Lebanon since 2018.[47] In March 2023, it was reported that there was drama going on between Bilal and Rafat overseas, which was allegedly well known to locals in the region.[47]
Post-gang war period
In May 2022, New South Wales Police arrested 18 alleged members of the network, who were said to be behind a "large-scale drug supply operation",[77] in connection with Strike Force Sugarcane.[33] The men arrested were part of a subset within the Alameddine crime network known as "R4W", or Ready for War. [78] Police allege that the leader of this collective was Asaad Alahmad, the brother-in-law of Rafat Alameddine.[79] Asaad Alahmad's home was shot up in March 2021, and he survived an attempt on his life in May 2021, and his house was shot up in March 2021. Alahmad was sentenced to 26 months in jail for his role in R4W.[79]
In January 2023, Masood Zakaria, the alleged "number two" in the organisation and the "most wanted man in NSW", was arrested in Bodrum, Turkey on charges of conspiring to murder, directing a criminal group and drug supply.[80] He was extradited to Australia in December 2023.[81]
On 19 April 2023, Ezzaddine Omar, a stolen-car rebirther who was arrested in 2021 in connection to the Mejid Hamzy killing, had his murder charge dropped in Burwood Local Court due to a lack of evidence.[82]
On 21 June 2023, Police were called to Pitt Street Mall after internal conflicts within the Alameddine Family led to a public-place brawl between senior members. Mohammad Zreika, Zane Zreika, Ahmad Alameddine, Ali Elmoubayed, Samimjan Azari, and Khaled Elmoubayed, were arrested and charged with affray.[83]
Sometime in July 2023, Hamdi Alameddine pleaded guilty to entering Crown Sydney in Barrangaroo to dine at the Epicurean Restaurant despite being subject to a lifetime ban.[84] Around the same time, Hamdi's wife, Roukaya Kanj, pleaded guilty to Common assault stemming from a street-fight in Merrylands. An article published by The Daily Telegraph on 2 August 2023, stated that Hamdi and his wife, shortly after expediting their court matters, had left Australia for Lebanon to join their other family members.[84] It is unknown whether Roukaya Kanj is related to slain Alameddine associate Shady Kanj.
On 4 November 2023, Alameddine associate Jacob Najjar, a well-known tiktoker known for his promotional content regarding his acai-cafe chain 'Thirsty Monkey', was kidnapped from his unit in Auburn and kept captive for around 24 hours. During the ordeal, Najjar suffered superficial stab wounds. He was found dumped on Lower Washington Dr in Bonnet Bay the following day at around 11pm.[34]
On 19 January 2024, a man was kidnapped in Granville. Police believe the kidnapping was linked to the Alameddine Family.
On 27 March 2024, 15 members and associates of the Alameddine Crime Family were arrested in connection with Strike Force Wessex. These arrests followed the alleged shutdown of 26 "drug-run phones" connected to over 50,000 alleged customers. Prior to the arrests, New South Wales Police Force Deputy Commissioner David Hudson alleged that the network was "making up to $1 million per week profit". Notably, the raids saw the arrest of prominent Western Sydney drill-rapper Ali 'Ay Huncho' Younes, a cousin of Alameddine Family boss Rafat, who gained notoriety through his music. Whilst Younes was not charged with anything, Detective Superintendent Grant Taylor declared that Younes was awaiting questioning over the Granville kidnapping which occurred on January 19, 2024, and for allegedly participating in a criminal group.[2]
On 28 March 2024, It became public that Alameddine associate Trente Jeske and known gangster-widow Jade Heffer had gotten married.[85] Heffer had previously been married to Lone Wolf bikie Yusuf Nazlioglu, who famously beat the wrap after being charged with the 2018 murder of Sydney underworld figure Mick Hawi. Nazlioglu was murdered on 27 June 2022. Following Nazlioglu's death, Heffer then dated fellow Alameddine associate Ahmed Alameddine. She was charged with hindering an investigation by police after assisting Ahmed's escape right before a police raid on his home in Greenacre in August, 2023.
On 11 April 2024, The Daily Telegraph reported that Ali 'Ay Huncho' Younes and Ali Elmoubayed had been charged with "kidnapping in company with intent to commit serious indictable offence occasion actual bodily harm" in connection to the January Granville kidnapping of a man.[86] Younes and Elmoubayed both face a maximum sentence of 25 years if convicted.[86]
On 30 April 2024, a home allegedly linked to the Alameddines was shot up on Myall Street in Merrylands.[87]
On 8 May 2024, the New South Wales Police Force announced that Alameddine Crime Family boss Rafat Alameddine, as well as key associates John Ray Bayssari and Zaid Abdelhafez, were wanted on two counts of murder. These charges stemmed from the October 2021 double-murder of young drug-runner Salim Hamze, 18, and his innocent father Toufik Hamze.[88] In relation to the murders, Alameddine heavyweight Masood Zakaria was charged at Goulburn Correctional Centre, a supermax jail where he was already awaiting trial for the foiled murder plot against Ibrahem Hamze in August 2021. Alammedine-associate Adam Achrafi was arrested from his home in Austral.[89]
On 13 September 2024, Mohammed Alameddine, a man alleged by police to be a senior Sydney crime figure, has won a legal battle allowing him to go on an overseas vacation with his family despite facing charges related to breaching a serious crime prevention order. The Supreme Court in Sydney granted a variation of his bail conditions, including the temporary return of his passport, permitting him to travel overseas under certain requirements.[90]
On Thursday, 20 September 2024, around 10 pm, police responded to reports of a man attempting to sell what appeared to be a firearm at a hotel on the Hume Highway in Bankstown. Upon arrival, officers from the State Crime Command’s Raptor Squad conducted a search of the 42-year-old suspect, discovering a cigarette lighter designed to resemble a firearm hidden in his underwear, along with a small quantity of suspected GBL (a prohibited drug) in his bag.[91] The man was arrested and taken to Bankstown Police Station, with the seized items sent for forensic examination. He was charged with acquiring a firearm while subject to a prohibition order, possessing an unauthorized pistol, and possessing a prohibited drug. Refused bail, the suspect was due to appear before Bankstown Local Court on Friday, 20 September 2024. Police will allege in court that the man, linked to the Alameddine crime network, was trying to sell the fake firearm to members of the public at the hotel.[92]
Two alleged members of the Alameddine crime group have been charged in connection with a drug supply operation targeting prisons in New South Wales. This development follows a broader investigation that began in April of the previous year, uncovering a syndicate operating within a Cessnock correctional center and contributing to drug trafficking across Sydney.[93] Six individuals, including four men and two women, had already been charged in relation to the case and remain before the courts.
On September 25, 2024, two additional men, aged 23 and 31, were arrested at Silverwater Prison and charged with multiple counts of supplying prohibited drugs and participating in criminal group activities. The police allege that both men are associated with the Alameddine crime group and were involved in smuggling drugs with an estimated prison value of $250,000.[94]
