How NSW police stopped all-out war in Sydney’s underworld

When Mejid Hamzy was gunned down on his doorstep, cops feared all-out war would erupt in Sydney’s underworld. Here’s how they have kept southwest Sydney safe.

Thirty one guns and more than $4.2 million in cash have been ripped from Sydney’s streets as police wrestle for control over warring families spilling blood across the city’s southwestern suburbs.

The haul has been seized since the execution of crime don Mejid Hamzy threatened to throw the Sydney underworld into all-out war.

The bloodied crime scene at the doorstep of a neighbouring property where Mejid Hamzy stumbled after being shot and killed by masked gunmen in Condell Park. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Hamzy’s murder sparked a stream of intelligence reports about revenge attacks brewing, forcing police to employ rarely used tactics.

Such is the level of violence, from drive-by shootings to kidnappings, that one family is considering arm­ouring their cars, a police source said.

The Sunday Telegraph was granted exclusive access to the results of the police strategy that has so far helped curb further deaths.

It can also be ­revealed the plethora of theories about the feud under investigation includes the ­involvement of overseas organised crime figures in Hamzy’s death.

Hamzy was shot dead in the driveway of his Condell Park home on October 19.

A picture of Mejid Hamzy released on the day of his funeral.

The murder of Hamzy, the younger brother of Supermax inmate Bassam Hamzy, followed steadily escalating violence between that family and the Alameddine clan.

A few days before the murder, the home of one of Hamzy’s cousins was shot at in Auburn.

The home of Rafat Alameddine in Merrylands was shot at around the same time. The Sunday Telegraph does not suggest Rafat Alameddine was involved in the shooting, or any other criminality.

It is understood one of the Alameddines was overheard suggesting he and his associates armoured their vehicles after his house was sprayed with bullets.

But it would not be a small or cheap feat. It would involve replacing the windscreens with ballistic protective glass and installing armour plates behind the bodywork of a car.

While some crimes haven’t been reported, police say daily intelligence reports suggest investigations into the feud have uncovered links to kidnappings, assaults and drugs.

After Hamzy was assassinated, police were hearing plenty of chatter about imminent retaliation, forcing officers to slap public safety orders on 27 people.

The orders only lasted 72 hours but banned rival family members from crossing into enemy territory in specific suburbs.

That bought police some breathing space to prepare for the even more restrictive Serious Crime Prevention Orders.

More than 678 firearm prohibition order raids have also been rolled out.

From those, police have seized 31 firearms, $7.55 million worth of drugs and $4.265 million in cash in the western suburbs of Sydney alone.

Rafat Alameddine, who is not accused of being involved in any shootings. Picture: Adam Yip

Those searches purely targeted the violent groups around southwest Sydney, and provide an insight into the immense wealth and propensity for violence that drives them.

State Crime Commander Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said police came down heavy on the feuding families because of the intensity of the violence and their ­histories.

“We escalated our ­response to this dispute because of the intensity of it and the capabilities of those involved,” he said.

Ballistic testing revealed rapid-fire weapons had been used in the drive-by shootings, including one in which an innocent neighbour’s car was riddled with bullet holes.

Underworld shootings are notoriously difficult to solve given the culture of silence and family loyalty that flourishes in Middle Eastern organised crime circles. However, The Sunday Telegraph understands police have identified key suspects in the shooting of Hamzy and could take action in coming months.

This week the Police Commissioner begins his first round of applications for serious crime prevention orders against four rival family members. The orders severely ­inhibit a person’s movements — from the phone they use, the amount of cash they have and the places they drive.

So restrictive the orders have rarely been used and have taken NSW Police weeks to draft. As it stands four people, including Rafat Alameddine. have been issued with draft orders.

The orders must be signed off by a judge before they are enforced.

Mr Smith wouldn’t rule out applying for more.

“We are going to apply suppression tactics to these individuals,” he said.

“If we are not there to ­disrupt them, we’re there to get evidence to incarcerate them.”