A Sydney rapper linked to the Alameddine crime family has surrendered to police and been charged over an alleged assault at an amateur boxing match in November.
Ali Younes, known professionally as Ay Huncho, has denied he went into hiding on Wednesday after major raids targeting organised crime across south-west Sydney.
Ali Younes, known as Ay Huncho in the rap community.
A second man, Masood Zakaria, accused by police of being a top lieutenant in the Alameddine crime network, remains wanted and his whereabouts are unknown.
Police have accused Mr Younes, 24, of helping to recruit gang members into the criminal network, with his music said to be a tool for attracting young men.
Police said he was a wanted man after a major operation came to a head, with 100 officers raiding half a dozen homes and businesses linked to the Alameddines on Wednesday morning.
About 9am on Thursday, Mr Younes turned himself in to Parramatta police station and his lawyer said his client had never sought to evade investigators.
Mr Younes had been out of town on a holiday, his lawyer Abdul Saddik said.
Police have charged Mr Younes for an alleged assault alongside two other men at a boxing event at an industrial complex in south-west Sydney on November 27.
One of two men allegedly assaulted sustained serious head and facial injuries and was taken to hospital. Police say a silver spirit level (a building tool) was used in the assault and was seized by officers at the Girraween complex last month.
Masood Zakaria is wanted by police.
Mr Younes has been charged with three offences, including affray, assault as part of participation in a criminal group, and recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm in company.
In the raids on Wednesday, police seized clothing allegedly worn during the assault.
Mr Younes has a large online following and, in a profile with Rolling Stone magazine earlier this year, said he had moved on from the gang life of his teenage years.
Police allege that is not the case, and he is involved in coordinating serious crime in Sydney.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith, state crime commander, said there were examples of rap being used to groom young men for participation in violent crime.
“They want to be a part of something, they want to belong to something, and they are basically groomed by the syndicate,” he said.
On Thursday, NSW Police Detective Superintendent Grant Taylor, criminal groups squad commander, said a number of people connected to the Alameddines were believed to be on the run.
“There is no doubt this syndicate is fracturing, they are on the run, they are in total disarray and they have nowhere to go,” he said.
Mr Zakaria, 26, is wanted for allegedly breaching a restrictive court order imposed on him last year and for directing the activities of a criminal group. Police believe he is still in NSW but could be seeking to leave the country.
Police urge members of the public to call triple zero if they have any information, and not to approach Mr Zakaria if they see him.
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