The underworld figures believed to be linked to a wave of unsolved gang killings in Sydney have come together in large-scale drug attacks, said NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb.
Police on Friday revealed that heavily armed agents attached to two organized crime task forces, Erebus and Hawk, have detained 45 since October, confiscating eight firearms, a hydraulic press and more than 20 kg of MDMA. in statewide raids.
Taskforce Erebus crews shot dead 18 people on Tuesday after breaking down doors on 29 properties accused of running a “dial-a-deal” drug business that grossed more than $ 250,000 a week.
Images of the raids show the accused drug dealers handcuffed, face down on the ground while officers with the full Strike Force Raptor tactical team watch.
Members of the notorious Alameddine criminal network were among those detained after a 10-month organized crime investigation.
Commissioner Webb made an appearance on morning television on Friday in an attempt to quell public fears that police have lost control of the streets after 13 deadly shootings in the last 18 months on the streets of Sydney.
Members of the notorious Alameddine criminal network were among those detained after a 10-month organized crime investigation.
Karl Stefanovic asked the Today program if the police have “any clues” about some of the highly planned hits that often include high-tech tracking devices and two burnt-out luxury cars left in neighboring suburbs.
“We believe some of the detainees during this week are linked,” he said.
“But it’s definitely an ongoing investigation. It’s a big foray this week just to get these people off the streets.”
There were 36 phones confiscated in the raids that were allegedly part of the alleged dial-a-deal union with one of the phones with more than 700 customers.
“Without access to these contacts … we think we’ve really broken it from the start,” Ms. Webb said.
“It simply came to our notice then. We are talking about a whole network of people involved in this.
“It’s not just about the importers, we’re talking about distributors, we’re talking about the street and the facilitators who have really supported these people in this business. We’ve really altered that.”
Each of the 18 detainees, men between the ages of 19 and 39, have been taken to police stations and will be charged with various offenses.
Operation Hawke, now launched across the state, contains specialized units and commands throughout NSW and focuses on partners and facilitators of Sydney’s organized crime networks.
Detective Superintendent Jason Weinstein said on Friday that police had been successful in disrupting Sydney’s drug supply, but also knew that “the tentacles of illicit activities extend far beyond our cities.”
“NSW attracts around 40 per cent of Australia’s national organized crime population, many of whom are trying to evade police attention by operating outside the Sydney metropolitan area,” he said.
Police estimate the sale of banned drugs in NSW is worth at least $ 3.7 billion a year on the street and is one of the causes of the recent wave of murders in the state.
Police have shut down an alleged “dial-a-deal” drug syndicate with 18 people arrested across Sydney and arrested members of the Alameddine criminal network.
“These arrests send a clear message to anyone involved in organized crime; that we are aware of your illicit activities and that we hold you accountable regardless of your location, “said research supervisor Weinstein.
Police say 23 kg of ecstasy, 2.5 kg of cocaine and a substance suspected of being methylamphetamine, with a collective value of about $ 4 million, were confiscated on Tuesday afternoon at two Fairfield properties. , west of Sydney.
In Hunter Valley, a search of the home of a member of a Life and Death motorcycle gang recovered two rifles, a pistol, 350 rounds of ammunition, ice blasters, an electronic stun device, drugs and money on Wednesday. in cash.
The 49-year-old man has been charged with 33 counts of felony criminal mischief.
Two revolvers were also found during a search of a stolen car in Summer Hill, in the western interior of Sydney, while a shotgun, other prohibited weapons, drugs, $ 30,000 in cash and stolen goods were confiscated in the raids. at Riverina’s home in south NSW.
Pictured from left to right are Alameddine’s alleged associates, Ali Younes and Masood Zakaria, and Rafat Alameddine and Hamdi Alameddine. None were arrested in Tuesday’s raids
HOW THE LOWER WORLD HAS ERPUTED SYDNEY
AUGUST 29, 2020 – Fares Abounader, a bike comanchero, was shot dead in a car attack while his wife and young son were inside his Panania home.
OCTOBER 4, 2020 – Shaylin Zreika, an associate of the Alameddines, is hit with a metal bar in a street fight in Strathfield
OCTOBER 18, 2020 – Rafat Alameddine’s former home is shot down by car
OCTOBER 19, 2020 – Mejid Hamzy is shot dead in Condell Park
JANUARY 30, 2021 – Mustafa Naaman is shot dead in Hurstville in an alleged wrongful attack on Ibrahem Hamze
JANUARY 30, 2021 – Mejed Derbas is killed in Smithfield
FEBRUARY 15, 2021 – Bilal Hamze’s mother, Maha Hamze, is shot again in another shooting at her home in Auburn.
MARCH 12, 2021 – A house linked to the Alameddine family in Guildford is shot
AUGUST 6, 2021 – Shady Kanj, a low-ranking associate of Alameddine, is shot dead in Chester Hill and police found dead in Guildford
AUGUST 14, 2021 – Police deny Ibrahem Hamze’s alleged gang impact when he saw a stolen Mercedes north of Sydney
OCTOBER 20, 2021 – Salim and Toufik Hamze are shot on the scales away from home in Guildford
NOVEMBER 10, 2021 – Alameddine partner’s shooting at Guildford House. No one is injured
JANUARY 6, 2022 – Bassam Hamzy’s brother, Ghassan Amoun, is shot dead at the age of 35 in a brazen execution in broad daylight while sitting in a BMW in front of an apartment building in the ‘west of Sydney.
APRIL 4, 2022 – Mahmoud ‘Brownie’ Ahmad, also known as ‘Mr Big’, is shot with a hail of bullets after being warned by police that he had a $ 1 million reward in his head for his role in a deadly shooting in Greenacre.
MAY 10, 2022 – Tarek Zahed and his brother Omar were shot in the Alameddine clan while training at an Auburn gym. Omar died on the spot while Tarek miraculously survived after receiving 10 shots, including in the face.
MAY 14: Rami Iskander, 23, was shot in the chest in front of his pregnant wife and two-year-old son at his home on Belmore’s Knox Street shortly before 4 a.m. Saturday. He is the nephew of Brownie Ahmad
MAY 15: NSW police launch Strikeforce Erebus to try to address growing problem of gang violence with Australian federal police and intelligence agencies partnering with state police to stop spill blood.