How raids and arrests have created chaos in Australian criminal underbelly that could lead to war

POLICE raids and arrests involving the Ibrahim brothers and the world’s “new Pablo Escobar” has created a hostile power vacuum. A war is brewing.

EXCLUSIVE

The multi-national arrests of crime figures including the Ibrahim brothers and Vaso Ulic – the “new Pablo Escobar” - that federal police say is behind most of all the drugs trafficked to Australia has created a “hostile” power vaccum in Australia that threatens to spill over into widespread violence.

The fear comes as the AFP confirm it will not attempt to extradite to Australia the former Kings Cross identity Ulic despite pursuing him for more than 10 years, but rather take the unusual tactic and help Montenegro authorities prosecute him offshore for using their territory to coordinate mass shipments of drugs to Australia.

The move comes as police will from today look to leverage the underbelly unrest and appeal to Serbian and Macedonian communities particularly in Sydney, Melbourne and Wollongong that might have been living in fear to now speak out.

Last week in a Montenegro prosecutors’ office, a lead investigator telephoned the AFP in Canberra to advise they were moving on their number one organised crime target, former Kings Cross identity Vaso Ulic.

Such was the sensitivity, only six named people were to be informed of his impending arrest.

The fear was less about there being a leak and him fleeing the jurisdiction in his private jet and more the effect his removal would have on the broader Australian criminal milieu with intelligence reports on his trafficking success and extensive networks placing him as the godfather behind much of all the drugs and illicit substances and firearms being smuggled into Australia each year.

Vaso Ulic who was arrested recently. Picture: Supplied

He was being arrested for just two MDMA busts in Sydney in 2007 and Perth in 2008, the latter which already saw the jailing of associate and one-time martial arts 2000 Olympics aspirant Sydney man Fabian Quaid, the long-time friend of fallen AFL star Ben Cousins.

But police both in Canberra and Montenegrin capital Podgorica knew Ulic was bigger.

“We can categorically without any doubt say he is one of the kingpins if not the kingpin of bringing drugs to Australia and it’s not limited to ecstasy, he does cocaine, he does meth, it’s a compilation and then the money laundering aspect that goes with that so he’s very sophisticated high-level crime figure,” AFP’s Organised Crime manager Commander Bruce Hill assured, as he recalled to News Corp Australia the telephone call that ended the decades-long pursuit of the syndicate boss, tagged in Balkan, Spanish and Dutch media as the world’s “new Pablo Escobar” such was his global empire.

Ben Cousins with Fabian Quaid. Picture: Graham Crouch

“Montenegro authorities have most certainly arrested a king pin of bringing drugs into this country for Balkan or otherwise organised crime.”

Now the effect of his arrest and those made last month including members of the infamous Ibrahim family has created a “hostile” power vacuum in Australia’s underbelly that police fear could spark national underworld unrest.

News Corp can also reveal police will leverage that unrest:

• From today contracting Macedonian and Serbian/Albanian translators for Crime Stoppers, with direct appeals to those communities particularly in Sydney, Wollongong, Queenaland, WA and Melbourne who may have been living in fear of underworld crime to now come forward;

• Renew offshore targeting of crime figures including senior OMCG bikers trafficking drugs and firearms to Australia from overseas;

• And conduct more street-level disruptive drug raids like those seen in Kings Cross this week.

Former Kings Cross identity Vaso Ulic who won’t be extradited. Picture: Supplied

The AFP has also confirmed it will not extradite to Australia the 58-year-old Ulic but rather take the unusual step of assisting Montenegrin authorities prosecute him there for using that territory to co-ordinate narcotic shipments to Australia.

Last month’s co-ordinated stings branded the most significant in law enforcement history, included the Dubai arrest of brothers of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim, Michael and Fadi Ibrahim, and underworld figures Stephen Fawaz Elmir and Mustapha Dib, senior figure of Comanchero Outlaw Motor Cycle Group (OMCG) Hakan Arif as well as members of rival Jomaa family including alleged leader 47-year-old Koder Jomaa.

The arrests have unsettled the national criminal underbelly like never before.

Michael Ibrahim outside his home in Sydney. Picture: News Corp Australia

“I think they are all a bit off balance at the moment, in Sydney in particular, now that we have taken out those other guys, Ulic is another one, they are all looking around, the environment is very unsteady, created a hostile environment for them,” a senior AFP organised crime officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.

Ulic has extensive OMCG associations including the Comancheros, Coffin Cheaters and Finks and was behind between two and six tonnes of drugs and caches of firearms being brought into Australia annually.

Fadi Ibrahim was also arrested too recently. Picture: News Corp Australia

“It’s organised crime so when someone like (Ulic) particularly gets taken out there is always someone behind but the thing is what we are trying to do and present the message if you are offshore you are no longer a protected species,” the officer said.

“On the back of the job with the Ibrahims, Elmir, Jomaa, wherever you are, we’re going to come after you. It’s a hostile environment out there and you can’t hide offshore.”

A NSW Police source said violence follows a syndicate dismantling with jockeying for criminal enterprise control.

“We’re already seeing organised crime and bikie-related violence about issues that are internal to those groups, we are not immune from it in Australia — we are seeing it quite regularly,” he said.

Fabian Quaid being escorted to his home in Sydney. Picture: Supplied

Through intercepts of coded messages, Ulic was arrested for 44kgs of MDMA seized in Perth in May 2008 for which four men including Quaid were jailed and a second 20kg haul walked off a ship in Sydney in August 2007 by a corrupt stevedore and handed to a known criminal in the Patrick’s terminal carpark.

Ulic, who migrated to Sydney in 1979, has been AFP’s high profile target since he fled in 2005 after 160kgs of ecstasy worth $50 million was seized in Sydney.

Another AFP investigator said of Ulic: “He’s been linked to murders over there and assassination of a politician in the Balkans so he’s got a wonderful track record and is known to move around Europe very surreptitiously.”

“With him being locked up and all the connections he has and all the things he’s done … there are people in Australia who know this guy but maybe have been scared a bit, so it’s their chance to come forward and give us some info now.”