The Alameddine crime network is an Australian organized crime group which operates out of the Western Sydney suburb of Merrylands. The gang, which is allegedly 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 AUD in weekly profit at its peak^[2]. Since October of 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 infamous Brothers for Life organisation.^[3][4] The Alameddine Family is also linked to street gang Proper60, which has been referenced by Ali 'Ay Huncho' Younes in his music^[5].

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 of 2017. In May of 2018, Talal was sentenced by Judge Peter Johnson in the New South Wales Supreme Court to 17 years and 8 months, with a minimum term of 13½ years. His earliest projected release date is in 2029.^[6][7]

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 extremism groups^[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 with the intention of making his way to Syria to join ISIS^[9]. Bilal denied allegations that the trip was connected to the Islamic State, and said he was just going to North Macedonia on holiday^[10].

Alameddine member/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^[11]. Samimjan Azari was also one of a list of many individuals that alleged Islamic State terrorist Ahmad Saiyer Naizman was banned from contacting^[12]

From May to June of 2017, an undercover police operation was commenced by the counter-terrorism unit targeting illicit weapon and drug supply^[13]. 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 and lever action rifle and 507g of cocaine"^[14].

On the first meeting between the men and the cop, which occurred on May 5th, 2017, Alameddine and Azari met 'M' on a street in Guildford^[15]. 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' then reportedly paid the men $28,000AUD in cash in this transaction^[16].

On a later occasion, Azari supplied officer 'M' with $32,000AUD worth of Cocaine, which was allegedly packaged in “vacuum sealed plastic packets”^[17].

On June 30th, 2017, The New South Wales Police Force swooped on the pair at a Bunnings Warehouse carpark in Lidcombe and seized BlackBerry mobile phones, 283g of Cocaine and about $70,000AUD in cash^[18]. A further $51,840AUD, suspected by police to be the proceeds of crime, were later seized from Azari’s residence in Merrylands, New South Wales^[19].

At the time of their alleged offending, Bilal Alameddine and Samimjan Azari were both only 18 years of age^[20]. As of a The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) article published on May 15th, 2020, Alameddine and Azari had both pleaded guilty to unlawfully supplying firearms and supplying about 500g of cocaine. Alameddine then also pleaded guilty to "supplying ammunition and two counts of supplying a pistol part" on May 12th, 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"^[21]. As of the May 15th, 2020 article, Bilal Alameddine was represented by lawyer Peter Lange^[22]. Whilst awaiting sentencing, Alameddine was in confinement at Long Bay Jail^[23]. Alameddine, whose date of birth was listed in court filings as September 4th, 1998^[24], 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"^[25]

In 2020 and 2021, Bilal Alameddine was refused early release by the State Parole Authority^[26].

On August 11th, 2021, The Sydney Morning Herald published an article which identified solicitor Abdulrahim 'Abdul' Saddik^[27] as the head of Bilal's legal team, and Tomislav Bicanic as his barrister^[28]. Abdul Saddik also represents many other members of the Alameddine clan, including Trente Jeske^[29], Ali 'Ay Huncho' Younes^[30] and Asaad Alahmad^[31], as well as Talal^[32], Hamdi^[33], and family boss Rafat^[34].

On November 14th, 2022, The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) reported that Bilal Alameddine was set to be released from jail on Parole within "a matter of weeks"^[35].

Azari's sentencing in this case is unclear 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^[36].

In the early-to-mid 2010s, The infamous 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^[37]. As reported by The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) in November of 2016, Masood Zakaria, despite being Afghani himself^[38], 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^[39]- a member of the crime family he would soon be at war against. During the conflict with the Blacktown Chapter, on November 4th, 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^[40]. According to The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), Zakaria also used to be a lieutenant in the Comanchero Motorcycle Club underneath former sergeant-at-arms Tarek Zahed^[41].

Sometime in October of 2018, Talal Alameddine got into a brawl with fellow Goulburn Correctional Centre inmate Bassam Hamzy, founder of the Brothers for Life organisation^[42].

On June 15th, 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 July 22nd, a little more than a month after the melee. They were charged with affray^[43].

In December of 2016, Masood Zakaria registered a company known as Prestige Management Group. Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) deregistered the business in 2020, as it was "either inactive or hadn't filed appropriate documents with corporate regulators on time"^[44]. However, Zakaria had registered a separate company, known as Zak Projects, sometime in 2018^[45]. 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 December 15th, 2021, during a police search for Zakaria, and as of February 6th, 2022, she was facing charges for allegedly using fraudulent documents to purchase her home^[46].

In June of 2017, Hamdi Alameddine registered a tree lopping company. It is registered as operating from one of the Alameddines family homes in Merrylands, New South Wales^[47].

Sometime in July of 2018, Jihad Alameddine registered a company called Fastway Projects Management. It was deregistered by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in July, 2021^[48].

In 2018, Rafat Alameddine registered a company called 'Australian Investment Managers'. Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) deregistered the company in September of 2021^[49]. As of a The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) article published on February 5th, 2022, Rafat had registered a new company known as 'MSJ Group'^[50].

The Alameddine Family is known to be linked to Coronation Property through their ally and friend Andy Nahas, and to MN Builders through Joe Nahas^[51].

Alameddine Family associate Mohammad 'Almo' Alameddine was served a ban listing 24 underworld figures he was no longer allowed to associate with^[52]. This list included Elly Greenfield, who was listed as being 30 years of age as of an article published on August 23rd, 2022^[53]. 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^[54]. 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^[55]. 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”^[56].

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^[57]. In 2022, Hamdi Alameddine was pictured at a junior football matched which was also attended by Ivan and Nathan Cleary^[58].

On January 24th, 2023, The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) 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, New South Wales^[59]. In the raids against the gang, the owner/manager of the store, Nou Silena Loeung, was charged with 27 offences^[60]. 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^[61].

Alameddine associate Jacob Najjar owns and operates well-known acai cafe-chain Thirsty Monkey^[62].

On May 20th, 2016, Alameddine Family members Rafat, Jihad and Richad Alameddine, as well as Former Nomads Motorcycle Club (Australia) 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 (rugby league, born 1993)^[63]. 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^[64].

On August 18th, 2022, The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) 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"^[65] after Hamdi Alameddine was pictured at a junior football event.

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^[66]. Jason may be related to Sydney underworld figure Mohammad Saab, who survived a shooting in Turrella in August of 2020, and was also named in the list of 24 underworld figures whom Mohammad 'Almo' Alameddine was banned from associating with by the New South Wales Police Force^[67].

Marital Ties with Hamzys

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^[68]. Mejida was the older sister of siblings Bassam, Mejid and Ghassan (Amoun)^[69]. Hamzy family members, such as Bassam, reportedly refused to attend^[70]. In particular, Khaled Hamzy was strongly against the union; however, he was imprisoned at the time anyway^[71]. 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^[72]. Not much is known of her, other than that she frequents the Hamzy family home in Auburn, New South Wales, and that she had shared a strong bond with her younger brother Mejid^[73].

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^[74]. 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 of 2016^[75][76]. Walid himself was then murdered later that month in Bankstown by Elmir associate Hamad Assad^[77]. Assad then met his own fate a few months later on October 25th^[78], 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 March 10th, 2017^[79]. Emed Sleiman, who was previously convicted of murdering innocent man Jason Burton in 1997, was then shot in the chest and leg in Auburn, New South Wales on March 28th^[80]. The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) reported that Sleiman was suspected of killing Barakat^[81], 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^[82]. 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'^[83] for the Elmirs, was suspected of being behind the 2013 shooting of Brothers for Life founder Bassam Hamzy's aunt Maha Hamze^[84], allegedly in conjunction with infamous Sydney criminal Reynold Glover^[85]. Glover, who is now imprisoned for life, was a close friend of Bilal Hauochar^[86]. At the time of the shooting against Maha, Bilal Hauochar was a close friend of the Alameddines^[87]. 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^[88]. 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^[89]. This then provoked Glover to shoot Maha when he was out of prison, thereby souring his relationship with Bassam from then onwards^[90]. 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 of 2021, Bilal Alameddine wrote a friendly letter to Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad^[91]. Mahmoud himself was in prison at the time serving a Manslaughter charge in connection with the Charbaji murder^[92].

On March 28th, 2022, The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) 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^[93]. This suggests that the Alameddines and Elmirs are still allies^[94].

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^[95]. Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad was murdered after a wild few months out of jail on April 27th, 2022^[96]. On May 10th, 2022, a high-profile double shooting grievously injured Comanchero Motorcycle Club sergeant-at-arms Tarek Zahed, and killed his gangster-brother Omar^[97]. Four days later, Mahmoud's nephew Rami Iskander, who was suspected of involvement in the Zahed shooting^[98], was murdered in Belmore^[99].

On the 23rd of February, 2023, a TikTok video published by The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) 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^[100], 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.

On June 9th, 2020, The home of Alameddine associate Shaylin Zreika is shot up in a Drive-by shooting in Westmead, New South Wales^[101]. It is unclear whether this shooting was related to any tensions with the Hamzys.

On October 14th, 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, New South Wales, and then stole his mobile phone^[102].

On October 16th, 2020, An unnamed member of the Alameddines was robbed of drugs by members of the Hamze/Hamzy Crime Family^[103]. 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^[104].

On October 17th, 2020, The Auburn, New South Wales 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^[105].

On October 19th, 2020, At 12:35am, Rafat Alameddine's house was shot up in Merrylands, New South Wales^[106].

On October 19th, 2020, At 7:34am, almost exactly seven hours later, Mejid Hamzy was shot to death outside his home in Condell Park by Alameddine associates^[107]. This was the first murder of the Hamzy/Alameddine conflict.

On November 23rd, 2020, A 17-year-old associate of the Alameddine Family was shot in South Granville, New South Wales^[108].

On December 8th, 2020, The New South Wales Police Force made an application to the Supreme Court of New South Wales to have Serious Crime Prevention Orders (SCPOs) enforced against the members of Hamzy and Alameddine Families.

On January 30th, 2021, Fire and Rescue New South Wales were called to extinguish a car-fire on Hume Road in Smithfield, New South Wales. 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.^[109]

On January 30th, 2021, Innocent father Mustafa Namaan was shot to death in Hurstville, New South Wales in a fatal case of mistaken identity. Police believe Namaan was murdered by associates of the Alameddine Family who mistook Namaan for Ibrahem Hamze^[110].

On February 15th, 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^[111].

On March 12th, 2021, The home of Asaad Alahmad, Rafat Alameddine's brother-in-law, was shot up in Guildford, New South Wales^[112].

On June 8th, 2021, Assad Alahmad was shot in the neck in Guildford, New South Wales. At the time, the New South Wales Police Force did not believe this shooting was part of the ongoing Hamzy/Alameddine feud^[113]. However, a report published on November 27th, 2023 by well-known The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) crime reporter Josh Hanrahan declared that Salim Hamze was responsible for the Alahmad shooting^[114].

On June 17th, 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, Sydney in the Sydney central business district after leaving the Kid Kyoto restaurant, which is owned by Sam Prince (restaurateur)^[115].

On July 14th, 2021, Well-known Alameddine associates Ezzaddine and Mohammad Omar were arrested for the Mejid Hamzy murder^[116].

On August 6th, 2021, Alameddine associate Shady Kanj, 22, was shot to death in Chester Hill, New South Wales^[117][118]. In an article published on November 27th, 2023, The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) reported that Kanj was murdered by Salim Hamze ^[119]. Before the murder, a text had been sent to Kanj asking for a delivery of cocaine to Boundary Rd in Chester Hill^[120]. 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^[121].

On August 14, 2021, Two armed and masked men in a stolen Mercedes were pulled over and arrested in North Sydney, New South Wales, and charged with conspiring to murder alleged Hamzy/Hamze Crime Family boss Ibrahem Hamze. As of the March 24th, 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.^[122] 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.^[123]

On September 3, 2021, Salim Hamze shot at a car containing Asaad Alahmad, Adam Achrafi, and Khodar Hamad in Granville, New South Wales.^[124]

On October 20th, 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, New South Wales home^[125]. Salim and Toufik were the 3rd and 4th members of the Hamzy Family to die within a year.

On November 10th, 2021, Alameddine/R4W member Bilal Mafhoud was shot at while he sat on the front patio of his Guildford, New South Wales home^[126].

On November 29th, 2021, Alameddine associate Murat Gulasi was shot in the leg at a gym in Prospect, New South Wales.^[127] Fiti Ah-Cheung and Joseph 'Freddy14' Howard were charged over the shooting, along with crime boss Ibrahem Hamze^[128]. Ah-Cheung and Howard are believed to associates of the 'RFA' (Ready For Anything) gang, which is strongly linked to Mount Druitt gang Onefour.^[129] The victim of the shooting, Murat Gulasi, later died of unrelated causes at a gym in Istanbul shortly after fleeing the country^[130].

On January 6th, 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, New South Wales^[131]. According to The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) 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^[132]. Amoun bore a different last name to his brothers Mejid and Bassam as he had opted to go by his mother's maiden name^[133]. Amoun was the fifth and last member of the Hamzy/Hamze Clan to be murdered during the war, as of May 2024.

On January 16th, 2022, The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) 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 dollar bounty placed on his head by the Hamzys^[134]. This came after the Hamzys interpreted a lack of contact from Ramlawie throughout the conflict as him having sided with the Alameddines^[135]. 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^[136].

On January 20, 2022, A utility truck containing two individuals, believed to be associates of Mohammad 'Almo' Alameddine, was shot at on Ostend St in South Granville, New South Wales^[137].

On January 23rd, 2022, Talal Alameddine was stabbed in a brawl in Goulburn Correctional Centre^[138]. It is unclear whether the attack on Talal was related to the ongoing conflict.

On January 25th, 2022, the war came to a screeching halt as the remaining members of the Hamzy Family hierarchy were arrested^[139]. 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^[140]. 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^[141].

In December 2023, Alameddine Family associate Tufi Junior Tauese-Auelua^[142], 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 August 19th, 2022 before being removed from the platform on February 1st, 2024^[143][144]. Shanks' Bondi, New South Wales rental was firebombed sometime in November, 2022, with another attempt to firebomb the same house having occurred the previous week^[145]. 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^[144][146].

The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) reported that Rafat Alameddine spent time as a younger man shadowing Bilal Haouchar, and learning the criminal trade under his guidance^[147]. Bilal Hauochar is the boss of the Hauochar Crime Family- one of Sydney's biggest criminal enterprises^[148].

On August 11th, 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 of 2017^[149].

On October 27th, 2021, Alameddine member Ali Elmoubayed, and associates Abdul Zreika and Bailey Togiavalu, were arrested for violently bashing Mohamad “Butch” Haouchar^[150]. 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”^[151]. 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^[152]. 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^[153]. In March of 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^[154].

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"^[155], in connection with Strike Force Sugarcane^[156]. The men arrested were part of a subset within the Alameddine crime network known as "R4W", or Ready for War. ^[157] Police allege that the leader of this collective was Asaad Alahmad, the brother-in-law of Rafat Alameddine.^[158] Asaad Alahmad's home was shot up in March, 2021, and he survived an attempt on his life in May of 2021, and his house was shot up in March of 2021. Alahmad was sentenced to 26 months in jail for his role in R4W.^[159]

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.^[160] He was extradited to Australia in December 2023.^[161]

On April 19th, 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, New South Wales Local Court due to a lack of evidence^[162].

On June 21st, 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^[163].

Sometime in July, 2023, Hamdi Alameddine pleaded guilty to entering Crown Sydney in Barangaroo, New South Wales to dine at the Epicurean Restaurant despite being subject to a lifetime ban^[164]. Around the same time, Hamdi's wife, Roukaya Kanj, pleaded guilty to Common assault stemming from a street-fight in Merrylands, New South Wales. An article published by The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) on August 2nd, 2023, stated that Hamdi and his wife, shortly after expediting their court matters, had left Australia for Lebanon to join their other family members^[165]. It is unknown whether Roukaya Kanj is related to slain Alameddine associate Shady Kanj.

On November 4th, 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, New South Wales 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^[166].

On January 19th, 2024, A man was kidnapped in Granville, New South Wales. Police believe the kidnapping was linked to the Alameddine Family.

On March 27th, 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, New South Wales kidnapping which occurred on January 19, 2024, and for allegedly participating in a criminal group^[167].

On March 28th, 2024, It became public that Alameddine associate Trente Jeske and known gangster-widow Jade Heffer had gotten married^[168]. 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 June 27th, 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, New South Wales in August, 2023.

On April 11th, 2024, The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) 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, New South Wales kidnapping of a man^[169]. Younes and Elmoubayed both face a maximum sentence of 25 years if convicted^[170].

On April 30th, 2024, A home allegedly linked to the Alameddines was shot up on Myall Street in Merrylands, New South Wales.^[171]

On May 8th 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.^[172] 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 of 2021. Alammedine-associate Adam Achrafi was arrested from his home in Austral, New South Wales^[173].

Alameddine Family

• Rafat Alameddine^[174]
• Masood Zakaria^[175]
• John Ray 'JR' Bayssari^[176]
• Ali 'Ay Huncho' Younes^[177]
• Rafat Alameddine^[178]
• Bilal Alameddine^[179]
• Rachad Alameddine (sometimes spelled 'Richad')^[180]
• Hamdi Alameddine^[181]
• Jihad Alameddine^[182]
• Talal Alameddine^[183]
• Ahmad 'Alan' Alameddine^[184]
• Murat Gulasi (died of natural causes, 2022)^[185]
• Shady Kanj (murdered, 2021)^[186]
• Ali Elmoubayed^[187]
• Khaled Elmoubayed^[188]
• Mejed Derbas (murdered, 2021)^[189]
• Benjamin Barakat^[190]
• Dagher Ghamrawi^[191]
• Mohammad Zreika^[192]
• Zane Zreika^[193]
• Samimjan Azari^[194]
• Dawood Zakaria^[195]
• Ezzaddine Omar^[196]
• Mohammad Omar^[197]
• Zaid Abdelhafez^[198]
• Tufi Junior Tauese-Auelua^[199]
• Abdul Zreika^[200]
• Bailey ­Togiavalu^[201]

R4W Sub-Set^{[202][203][204]}

• Asaad Alahmad
• Trent Jeske
• Imad Mafhoud
• Bilal Mafhoud^[205]
• Abraham Zreika
• Khaled Zreika
• Amir Zreika
• Zackaria Zreika
• Ahmed Karim^[206]
• Jalal El Jajie^[207]
• Adam Alameddine
• Hilal Oueik
• Adam Achrafi
• Wessam El Jajieh
• Hussein Zraika
• Fadi Zraika
• Mouhammad Zraika
• Khoder Hamad

Known Allies

• Mohamad 'Almo' Alameddine (Comanchero Motorcycle Club/Alameddine Family)^[208]
• Mustafa Hafizi (Hells Angels, Chinatown Chapter)^[209]
• Moshtaba Hafizi ^[210]
• Abdulrahim 'Abdul' Saddik (Family Lawyer)^[211]
• Joseph Vokai (KVT Gang)^[212]
• Andy Nahas (Coronation Property's former company secretary; Now owner of MN Buildings)^[213][214]
• Joe Nahas (Owner of Coronation Property)^[215]
• Stephen Bou-Abbse^[216]
• Simeona 'Hooligan Hefs' Silapa (Western Sydney Rapper, and key member of Doonside Gang '67')^[217]
• Nasa Nova (Western Sydney Rapper with links to the KVT Street Gang)^[218]
• Engu (Justice) 'Hooligan Skinny' Tavai (Western Sydney Rapper, and key member of Doonside Gang '67')^[219]
• Sosaia 'Hooks' Tavai (Western Sydney Rapper, and associate of Doonside Gang '67')^[220]