Alameddines, Hamzys, Bandidos and Hells Angels segregated in different jails to prevent brawls
Tattoos, hand symbols and intercepted phone calls: covert intelligence officers have revealed how they curb gang warfare in NSW’s jails. See where the bikie bigwigs are living.
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Prison guards are madly separating warring gangsters and bikies to all corners of the state’s jail system as Sydney’s bloody underworld feud threatens to ignite inside the correctional system.
Warfare on the streets of Sydney has escalated with 13 tribal executions in 18 months and fears more bloodshed is on the horizon. Prison intelligence officers are on high alert to spot warring bikies and gangsters preparing to ventilate their deadly grudges inside prison.
One underworld figure spoke to The Daily Telegraph just weeks after walking out of Goulburn Correctional Centre, saying “If you don’t tell (authorities) who you’re with you can end up in the wrong jail … that’s when you can get f--ked up inside”.
“They’re strategic, it’s about segregation, they rotate you all the time around the jail, or to other jails, so it doesn’t kick off.”
Crack teams of carefully vetted intelligence officers are intensely focused on correctional segregation using covert intelligence gathering tactics and physical deterrents to tighten security and keep facilities safe.
An investigation can reveal officers have incarcerated the Alameddine clan at both Parklea Correctional Centre and Mid North Coast jail in Kempsey, 600 kms away from the Alameddine’s biggest rivals the Hamzys in Supermax.
Kingpin of the notorious family Bassam Hamzy was at Silverwater weeks ago when he was being moved and spotted a bitter enemy of the rival Alameddine clan, Bilal Mahfoud, a 20-year-old associate, and lunged and spat at him before he was restrained.
Earlier in June last year Comanchero bikie Mohamed ‘Mick’ Hijazi, 47, was ‘jumped’, punched in the head and stabbed, at Shortland Correctional Centre in the Upper Hunter by a young rival, 22.
Two years ago tensions spilled inside John Morony Correctional Centre when Mongols bikie Daniel Sarkis, 31, fronted up Corey Smith, 25, a member from the gang’s hated rivals, the Finks, and repeatedly punched him as he was escorted into a holding cell.
Prison sources confirm the Hells Angels are imprisoned at Cessnock and the Comanchero at Wellington, Silverwater, Bathurst and Lithgow.
The Finks bikie club members are predominantly housed at Shortland Correctional Centre and the Brothers for Life and Lone Wolf bikies at Parklea and Goulburn.
The Bandidos are locked inside the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre at Kempsey and most Rebels bikies are at Silverwater and Parklea.
Mohammad “Little Crazy” Hamzy is currently housed at John Morony Correctional Complex Windsor.
David “Boxhead” McCauley, a prison guard of 25 years, said prison intelligence officers were incredibly learned in gang culture.
“PIOs are trained at deciphering written and spoken code when monitoring inmates’ external phone calls and mail – all jails record calls from inmates but high security Supermax has the ability to monitor in real time,” Mr McCauley said.
“When it comes to terrorists or the Hamzys, intelligence officers jump on the calls.
“The intel officer has to identify OMCG members and associates and is trained to identify code talk and symbols and tattoos which can tell which gang he is affiliated to, or which can tell a story.
“A rival attack on an OMCG gang member wins prestige – if you kill or maim a rival member, it’s kudos in jail.”
The rabbit warren of enclosed prison corridors, known as chook runs, and court runs, are carefully supervised by PIOs and prison officers to avoid riots and fights.
Private prison Parklea was built with four segregated areas -1-2, 3, 5, and new area 6 – for this specific reason with inmates are housed with meticulous planning in units to prevent conflict.
Jails classify race groups – the Lebanese, Asians, Polynesians – all of whom have to be segregated to prevent fights.
“Where there are terrorists or security threat groups (STGs), or any member of a group known to NSW police, a strike force or Federal Police, every call is monitored live,” said Mr McCauley.
“If a cohort of inmates are moved around, say the Comancheros, it’s broadcast to staff by walkie talkies, so the Bandidos are contained at the time.
“Never put two different OMCGs in the same compartment of a van.
“If there are two types of OMCGs in the visiting section at the same time, normally they don’t cause a disturbance, it’s a neutral zone, because no one wants to have visits banned.
“Every OMCG member still wants to cuddle their kids in jail.
“Big, tough crims will tell their kids ‘dad’s working away from home right now, I’ve got overalls on, I’ll be home soon’”.
Inmates under close observation in high security jails will eat largely in their cells to avoid conflict.
Breakfast is usually a carton of milk, cereal and coffee, lunch a packaged sandwich and at night inmates are mustered back into their cells for a TV dinner.
“It’s not like the American movies where prisoners sit at a table and talk and hang out,” said Mr McCauley, “mistakes are made but it’s a lot more controlled.”
A new “super taskforce” has been formed by NSW Police to fight the bloody gangland war in Sydney’s southwest.
The foundations for the recent shootings were laid in winter, when underworld figure Bilal Hamze, was blasted with bullets in a drive-by shooting as he left a restaurant in the Sydney CBD. It was believed to be a million dollar hit.
Senior NSW police officials met two weekends ago after the execution of Rami Iskander, the third murder in four weeks, to draft a new strategy enlisting the support federal police and intelligence in the fight against the gang violence.
Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald, head of the NSW state crime squad, said Taskforce Erebus would have a sweeping brief to investigate the circumstances and links between the fatal shootings, other acts of violence, the importation and supply of prohibited drugs, illicit firearm supply, co-ordinated theft of vehicles and various other criminal activities.
On April 27, high profile Sydney crime figure, Mahmoud “Brownie” Ahmad was assassinated outside a home in Greenacre, with some pointing the finger at the Alameddine family, who have joined forces with the Comanchero bikie club.
Police are investigating whether an Ahmad family associate was linked to the recent shooting of Comanchero bikie boss Tarek Zahed and the death of his brother Omar Zahed in retaliation for Brownie’s death.
Since October 2021, operations involving State Crime Command and South West Metropolitan Region have already led to the arrest of more than 260 people and more than 840 charges laid.
Corrective Services says its officials expend extensive time and resources into determining appropriate security classifications.
“All inmate placements are carefully managed around risks and associations, both as individuals and groups,” a Corrective Services NSW spokesman said.
“CSNSW’s Security and Intelligence branch continuously monitors the dynamics of OMCG relations within the community to stay abreast of conflicts or changing loyalties.
“Tensions in the community may be played out within the correctional environment, which is why some groups are managed at separate locations.”
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