Underworld heavyweights Bassam Hamzy and Tarek Zahed ‘mistakenly’ end up face-to-face in NSW’s toughest jail

The state’s toughest prison is having a major review into how two of the biggest heavyweights in Sydney’s underworld ended up face-to-face in jail.

Two of the biggest figures in Sydney’s underworld, one of who once took out a hit on the other, found themselves mistakenly face-to-face in an exercise yard at the state’s toughest prison.

A major review is underway into how Comanchero bikie heavyweight Tarek Zahed and Brothers 4 Life gang boss Bassam Hamzy were allowed to be together inside Goulburn Supermax for 20 minutes, with each fortunately managing to show enough restraint that a wild brawl did not unfold.

Being home to the state’s most dangerous inmates, extensive checks and intelligence gathering are done to ensure potential rivals do not end up alone together.

The incident happened on August 20 and in a statement, NSW Corrective Services said they view “non-association orders as extremely important” and it was a “mistake” for Zahed and Hamzy to be put together.

Comanchero bikie Tarek Zahed found himself in the same exercise yard as Bassam Hamzy in Goulburn Supermax in mid-2023. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

Hamzy, the founder of the infamous Brothers 4 Life gang, is once believed to have taken a hit out on Zahed according to NSW Police intelligence files. Picture: Supplied

“Due to an oversight, two inmates were incorrectly placed in an exercise yard together for about 20 minutes at the High Risk Management Correctional Centre on Tuesday, August 15 2023,” the statement read.

“They were under observation all the time. Officers quickly identified both inmates in the yard and were removed without incident.

“CSNSW is undertaking a full review of the mistake.”

With both Zahed and Hamzy having been on opposing sides of Sydney’s gang war in recent years, there was much surprise in the underworld that the pair ended up in a yard together.

“Tarek and Bassam just looked at each other... neither wanted to start anything,” an underworld source said.

“They say at Goulburn (Supermax) they do checks on everyone, but clearly there’d be red flags everywhere if any kind of check was done on putting these two in together.

“It makes you think, was it someone organising it to start something?”

NSW Police believe that at one point, relations between Zahed and Hamzy were so bad, that the latter put a bounty on the head of the powerful bikie.

In an intercepted phone call from Hamzy to his brother Ghassan Amoun in October 2020, they discussed Zahed.

“It was highly likely Zahed was at risk from Hamzy and Hamzy’s associates in the community,” police stated in an intelligence document, released by the NSW Supreme Court.

Both Zahed and Hamzy are currently behind bars inside Goulburn Supermax, Australia’s toughest prison. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

On top of the apparent bounty, tensions between Zahed and Hamzy would not have been helped by being on opposing sides of Sydney’s ongoing gang war.

When the feud between the Hamzys and the Alameddines first escalated in 2020, the latter sided with the Comanchero bikie gang to become the most powerful force on the city’s deadly streets.

Both Zahed and Hamzy have been central to the bloodshed that has seen more than 20 people shot dead in Sydney since late-2020.

The war began with the killing of a former Comanchero bikie, Fares Abounader, and then the next victim was Mejid Hamzy, the older brother of Bassam.

There were next an attempt on the life of Bassam’s cousin, Ibrahem Hamze, that saw an innocent man shot by mistake.

Omar Zahed (left) died in a shooting attack on him and Tarek Zahed at Bodyfit Gym in Auburn in May 2022.

Bassam’s other cousin Bilal Hamze was then gunned down in mid-2021, before his other brother Ghassan was murdered in January 2022.

Zahed and his brother Omar, also a Comanchero bikie, were shot at by masked gunmen at an Auburn gym in 2022.

The attack saw Zahed shot 10 times including in the eye, which left him blind, while his brother was killed.

Hamzy is behind bars for at least another decade for a series of crimes including murder and drug distribution.

Zahed is being held in Goulburn Supermax on remand as he awaits a trial after pleading not guilty to the alleged 2014 murder of Youssef Assoum.