Call for royal commission into how Sydney’s drugs are getting in, as gang war claims another life

The latest deadly shooting to rock Sydney has prompted calls for a royal commission into how drugs are getting into Australia and fuelling the city’s underworld war.

A royal commission into how drugs are getting into our country and fuelling Sydney’s underworld war has been called for, as the NSW Premier conceded laws may need to change after the latest deadly shooting to rock the city.

Ferenc “David” Stemler, 28, was shot dead in a hail of bullets as he met with two men outside his rental home in the southwest suburb of Canterbury just after 2am on Thursday.

He is the fifth person to be shot on a Sydney street in as many days, and was gunned down just hours after well-known lawyer Mahmoud Abbas was shot in the leg and torso outside his home in Greenacre.

Just days earlier Ahmad Al-Azzam, 25, was shot in the same suburb – dying on Thursday from his wounds – in an attack that also injured Kaashif Richards, 22, and Achiraya Jantharat, 19.

An incredible photo taken by The Daily Telegraph captured Mr Stemler’s heavily-tattooed and bloodied body laying on the road as two primary school children walked past on their way to school.

Ahmad Al-Azzam (l to r), Marvin Oraiha and Ferenc ‘David’ Stemler have all died in Sydney shootings since May.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson told a media conference on Thursday the force had been in contact with the NSW Department of Education and offered them counselling.

“I feel very sorry for those children that they’ve had to see that,” Mr Hudson said.

Students walk past David Stemler’s body as forensics police set up the crime scene in Canterbury. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Mr Stemler’s shooting death is believed to be the latest in a gang war fuelled by drugs and a fight over drug territory.

It led former police minister Paul Toole to call for a royal commission on Thursday into how drugs are entering NSW through airports and ports.

Mr Toole told The Daily Telegraph that a royal commission would be able to probe the “fundamental issues” behind the conflicts between Sydney’s criminal gangs that have exploded into bloodshed on the streets.

“We really need to get to the bottom of it so that we can ­really wipe out this insidious crime that is actually impacting on communities,” he said.

“It’s not going to be an overnight fix, but a royal commission will be able to look at how we can actually go forward in trying to ensure that this activity is diminished.”

Chief Superintendent Jason Weinstein will head up Taskforce Magnus. Picture: Tim Hunter

However, there is little appetite within the state government for a royal commission-style probe, with Premier Chris Minns returning serve by saying Labor was open to law changes if police pushed for them.

“We are talking to NSW Police about whether further changes to the law are required to help confront the threat of violent criminal activity on Sydney streets,” Mr Minns said.

“Police want to be out on the streets protecting Sydney’s families and arresting these ­violent criminal scumbags. The last thing anyone in Sydney wants at this critical time is to tie police officers up with an unnecessary inquiry.

“This is particularly crucial now because we saw the number of police officers leaving the force almost double in the space of four years, up to 6.8 per cent — or around 1220 officers — in 2022.”

NSW Police reacted to three shootings in five days by announcing the creation of Taskforce Magnus to investigate.

The taskforce will see a collaboration of the investigations into Mr Stemler’s death (Strike Force Murrell) and the shooting of Mr Abbas (Strike Force Alverstone).

Also included in the grouped investigation will be the death of Marvin Oraiha at Elizabeth Hills in May (Strike Force Hackenburg), the shooting of William and Eric Siale at a Marrickville barber shop in July (Strike Force Orsino), the triple-shooting at Greenacre on Sunday (Strike Force Alpina), as well as the shooting death of Alen Moradian in Bondi Junction (Strike Force Parachuter).

Highly respected and experienced investigator Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Weinstein will lead Taskforce Magnus.

Police Minister Yasmin Catley (right, with Commissioner Karen Webb and Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon in the background) announces Taskforce Magnus. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

At a press conference alongside Police Minister Yasmin Catley and NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb, Mr Hudson said there were known links between all the shootings, but said one of the hardest things for detectives was “hitting a wall of silence” when investigating the shootings and murders.

“These are exceptionally difficult matters to investigate,” he said.

“When investigating these crimes, we hit a wall of silence.

“We’ve had victims who have survived their attacks who refuse to tell us why they were a target of some other group, someone, some other individual.

“That is one of the biggest ­concerns to us.”

There is no suggestion Mr Abbas is among those declining to co-operate with police.

Police sources said drugs were undoubtedly fuelling the city’s gang war and that, while they were doing all they could, anything that stopped the drugs coming into Australia — such as a royal commission into our border security systems — would help.

“I hate the suggestion we’re not doing enough, we are working as hard as we possibly can,” a police source said.

“You can’t imagine how hard it is to solve these shootings when no one helps.

“It’s all about drugs. While they’re around at the high prices we see here, we will have shootings. So that is what we have to stop.”

Ms Catley refused to take responsibility for the explosion in gang violence on Sydney’s streets and said she had “confidence” Taskforce Magnus would get results.

“I have full confidence that the police, through Taskforce Magnus, will be able to bring these people to justice,” she said.

An extra 30 detectives have been brought on to investigate how the spate of recent shootings are linked, but NSW Police insisted that Taskforce Magnus could still be scaled up if needed.

The 100-strong taskforce brings eight existing strikeforces under one umbrella, with 70 detectives working on different shootings brought together to better ­investigate “common links” in the ­violence.