Sydney gangsters slain in underworld hits between 2009-2022
Twenty-four high-profile gangsters have been slain in underworld executions since 2009, major players in Sydney’s underbelly whose appetite for notoriety led them to meet the same grim fate.
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Twenty-four high-profile gangsters and their associates have been slain in underworld executions since the infamous Sydney Airport bikie brawl 12 years ago — and the bodies are still falling as the hitmen outpace police.
Twenty-four high-profile gangsters and their associates have been slain in underworld executions since the infamous Sydney Airport bikie brawl 12 years ago — and the bodies are still falling as the hitmen outpace police.
2009 – SYDNEY AIRPORT BRAWL ENDS MICK HAWI’S REIGN
The infamous brawl between The Comanchero and Hells Angels which killed Anthony Zervas is one of the most significant events to shape Sydney’s underworld.
The bloody clash permanently divided the clubs, setting the stage for rivalry that would lead to bloodshed decades later and spark a major police crackdown.
Zervas, 29, an associate of the Hells Angels, was bashed to death as the gangs clashed at Sydney Airport after a chance mid-flight meeting.
His death led to the end of Mick Hawi’s six-year reign over the Comanchero after he was in 2015 convicted of murder and later manslaughter for his role in the brawl.
The fallout led to the introduction of anti-bikie laws and the creation of bikie squad Strike Force Raptor by police.
Former detective Duncan McNab said the crackdown later led to many crooks like Mark Buddle going into exile.
“The key players in NSW started to think (of) warmer places overseas,” he said.
2016 – “MR BIG” SHOT DEAD
The execution of Safwan Charbaji, the “Mr Big” of the city’s underbelly triggered a series of bloody gangland hits.
Charbaji was fatally shot in a gunfight outside a Condell Park smash repair business after a dispute relating to a debt.
His execution led to the killing of kingpin Wally Ahmad, who gunned down at a Bankstown shopping centre while on the run over the shooting.
The brother of Wally, Mahmoud “Brownie” Ahmad, later pleaded guilty to manslaughter over Charbaji’s death, with prosecutors conceding Wally had fired the shot that killed Charbaji.
Weeks later, Ahmad family enforcer Kemel Barakat was gunned down in his bed at Mortlake.
On October 25 2016, hitman Hamad Asaad, who had bragged that he had killed Wally, was shot in front of his family at Georges Hall.
Assad had been implicated in a failed assassination attempt on Mafia kingpin Pasquale Barbaro, who was later killed.
2018 – BIKIE KING MICK HAWI SLAIN
The daylight execution of bikie boss Mick Hawi eight years after the Sydney Airport brawl sent ripples through the underworld.
It had been three years since Hawi had been released from jail and he had finally settled down in Bexley when the death knell sounded.
Hawi had resorted to work as a standover man in the construction industry when a dispute emerged about how much he was owed.
Then, on February 15, 2018, Hawi was gunned down by two masked assassins outside Fitness First Rockdale. The alleged getaway car was found burnt-out nearby.
The reason for the execution, however, remains a mystery after a NSW Supreme Court jury acquitted two men of murder.
Tensions in the underworld again exploded two years later when Mick Hawi’s close associate Fares Abounader was gunned down.
He had been living in fear after police warned him he had a price on his head after he tried to quit the bikie gang.
The execution highlighted ongoing tensions between the rival bikie gangs decades after the bloody 1984 Milperra Massacre.
2020-22: THE HAMZYS V THE ALAMEDDINES
The execution of Mejid Hamzy is one of the most significant events to shape Sydney’s underworld, sparking a major escalation of a gangland war.
Hamzy was gunned down by masked assailants in Condell Park on October 19, 2020 in what police will allege was linked to an explosion of the feud with rival family the Alameddines.
The assassination came after a string of public place shootings and brawls. In March 2022, police made a breakthrough and arrested two men, Chris O'Brien and Bryce Williams, over Hamzy's alleged murder, with police believing a high-profile Comanchero hired hitmen to kill Hamzy over a large shipment of drugs.
Police fears of more bloodshed led to the enforcement of Serious Crime Prevention Orders restricting the movement of key members.
But then in June tensions exploded and Mejid’s cousin Bilal was shot dead as he left a Sydney CBD restaurant on Bridge Street after police warned he had a $750,000 bounty on his head.
Police had been able to contain the bloody feud until Hamzy’s shooting put them on high alert for a reprisal hit.
AUGUST '21: SHADY KANJ
Alleged Alameddine associate Shady Kanj was shot and killed while travelling in a car at Chester Hill in August 2021.
Kanj was driving his black Kia Rio with another man in the car when he was ambushed after turning into a no-through road.
He was then driven three kilometres away to Guildford, where he was found dead by emergency services. The other man miraculously escaped unharmed.
Police allege Kanj worked for the Alameddines at a low-level as a runner, with sources claiming he was killed over internal matters.
Police investigations into the murder are continuing.
JANUARY '22: GHASSAN AMOUN
Gangland figure Ghassan Amoun was killed in a brazen daylight execution while sitting in a BMW outside a western Sydney apartment.
The brother of notorious brothers 4 Life leader Bassam Hamzy was shot dead in January 2022, months after police had warned him he had a target on his head.
He was walking out of the Laser Lady beautiful clinic in South Wentworthville when a stolen Mini Cooper pulled up and a man in a balaclava opened fire.
Police investigations into the murder are continuing, with detectives yet to make any arrests.
APRIL '22: Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad
Gangland boss Brownie's brutal execution in a southwest Sydney cul de sac marked another key point of escalation in the ruthless war amongst underworld figures.
Ahmad, 39, of the once-feared Ahmad crime family, was gunned down in a hail of bullets outside a home on Narelle Crescent in Greenacre about 9.30pm on April 27.
Despite the efforts of police and paramedics, including Strike Force Raptor officers desperately attempting CPR at the scene, the “Mr Big” of the city’s crime world died a short time later.
The gunman fled the scene before a burnt out car was found a short time later in Greenacre. It is not yet known if the two incidents are linked.
Brownie was the brother of Walid “Wally” Ahmad who was himself gunned down at Bankstown Centro Shopping Centre in 2016 - sparking a war which claimed at least four lives.
Police had repeatedly warned Brownie of a rumoured $1 million bounty on his head following a plot to shoot him dead at Rushcutters Bay Park.
The Daily Telegraph previously revealed the gangster had plans to flee overseas once he had settled his affairs in Sydney- but he never made it out.
Investigations into Ahmad's murder are ongoing.
MAY '22: Tarek and Omar Zahed
Comanchero bikie heavyweight Tarek Zahed is fighting for life after being shot ten times, while his brother Omar is dead after the pair were sprayed with bullets at a western Sydney gym.
In the second gangland incident to rock Sydney’s streets in as many weeks, following Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad's murder, the brothers were shot as they stood in the foyer of the Body Fit Gym on Parramatta Rd at Auburn about 8pm on Tuesday.
Tarek, 42, is fighting for life after being shot in the head, stomach, legs and arms, and remains in a critical condition at Westmead Hospital. Omar died at the scene after being shot multiple times.
Two burnt out cars were found in Berala and Greenacre not long after the incident, with both believed to be linked to the shooting.
Comanchero sergeant at arms Zahed, 41, has close ties to international drug kingpin and Comanchero overlord Mark Buddle, and had been tipped to become the new national president of the feared bikie gang after current boss Mick Murray was charged with murder and placed behind bars on remand.
Zahed had also been recently warned by police he had a multi-million dollar bounty placed on his head by his enemies.
HOW GANG HITS HAVE CHANGED
Experts say the prevalence of CCTV and advances in forensics means criminals have to meticulously plan executions.
“If I’m a crook, I have to plan to make sure I’m not on CCTV or leaving DNA somewhere. It’s the same crime but slightly more intricate planning to deal with the new technology cops have,” Mr McNab said.
Criminologist Xanthe Mallett says that because hits often pay hundreds of thousands of dollars, assassins will go to extraordinary lengths to evade capture.
“The cars are stolen and they burn them afterwards, they cover their faces so even if they’re caught on CCTV nobody’s going to recognise them. They’ll use burner phones and it won’t be the main players undertaking the hits so they’ll be hard to find.
“It’s very lucrative and they’re very skilled … The police are trying to play catch-up to prevent more hits.”
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