Alameddine crime network
The Alameddine crime network or Alameddine family is an Australian organised crime group that operates out of the Western Sydney suburb of Merrylands. The gang, 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
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.[5]
During legal proceedings, Talal Alameddine implied the network having a connection to the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group, saying to officials: "my beard is for ISIS".[8]
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.[9] 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.[10]
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.
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.[15] An undercover police officer, 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".
Brothers for Life infighting
In mid-to-late 2013, the Brothers for Life gang was in civil war, with the Lebanese Bankstown chapter and the Afghan Blacktown chapter engaging in tit-for-tat shootings.[21] As reported by The Daily Telegraph in November 2016, Masood Zakaria, despite being Afghani himself,[22] 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,[21]
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.
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.[41] 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.[42][4] Walid himself was then murdered later that month in Bankstown,
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.[47]
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.
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.[46] Bilal Hauochar is the boss of the Hauochar Crime Family- one of Sydney's biggest criminal enterprises
Heaps more here-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameddine_crime_network