Luxury car companies caught up in gangsters’ underworld war

Luxury car companies have been unwittingly caught up in three murders and a firebombing in the past 14 months, as gangsters who use them come under attack in the underworld war.

Luxury car companies have been unwittingly caught up in three murders and a firebombing in the past 14 months, as gangsters who rely on them for their flashy lifestyle come under attack in the underworld war.

Cars have been a central part of Sydney’s gang war in recent years, with assassins requiring the horsepower most commonly found in brands such as Mercedes, BMW and Audi for a quick getaway from a crime scene, while luxury vehicles have often been sprayed with bullets when gangsters’ flashy lives come to an end.

Sydney Luxury Hire has been innocently connected to two murders and a firebombing since mid-2022.

The first incident was the assassination of Yusuf Nazlioglu.

Police allege that in the weeks before his death Nazlioglu had attempted to stand over Sydney Luxury Hire, by refusing to give back two Mercedes cars — worth a combined $520,000 — that he had rented from them.

Lone Wolf bikie Yusuf Nazlioglu was shot dead in Rhodes last June, with police alleging it was because of attempts to stand over Sydney Luxury Hire.

Sydney Luxury Hire employee Taha Sabbagh (right, with UFC star Tai Tuivasa) before his gangland assassination. Picture: Instagram.

This conflict, police allege in court documents, was the reason the long-time Lone Wolf bikie and gangland figure was gunned down in the underground carpark of his apartment block in Rhodes, in Sydney’s west, on June 27 last year.

In court documents, police allege the “actions by the deceased (Nazlioglu) were ultimately the likely motive for his murder”. Those same documents state: “Sydney Luxury Hire and the owners of these vehicles have refused to assist the police investigation (into Nazlioglu’s killing)”.

The Audi that Alen Moradian (inset) was sitting in when he was shot dead through the window. Picture: 9News

Nine months after that gangland murder, Sydney Luxury Hire was unfortunately drawn into the war again.

Taha Sabbagh was an employee of Sydney Luxury Hire, driving celebrities from UFC fighter Tai Tuivasa to internet sensation Hasbulla, often in high-end vehicles.

But in an attack that shocked police, the highly-respected and innocent father was gunned down as he sat in his Mercedes SUV outside a Sefton gym on March 2, 2023.

Just two months later a blue Lamborghini leased out by Sydney Luxury Hire to Mahmoud Bargshoon was firebombed by balaclava-clad gunmen as it sat parked on a street in Sydney Olympic Park.

The Daily Telegraph tried to contact Sydney Luxury Hire, but was told the owners were currently overseas.

The Lamborghini Huracan in flames at Sydney Olympic Park. Picture: 9News

According to company documents the business has seen several changes of directors since 2022, including most recently on March 1, when Omar Mohmed Ahmad Hassan and Nezar Manly were appointed directors.

The Daily Telegraph is in no way suggesting Sydney Luxury Hire or any of the individuals involved in the company had knowledge of any crimes committed or is involved in the underworld, rather that they have been unwittingly caught up in the city’s crazy conflict.

The death of Alen Moradian at Bondi Junction is arguably the biggest organised crime hit of the war.

When shots were fired on the morning of June 27, police first thought the victim was a member of the Alameddine crime clan.

That theory was sparked because Moradian — a Comanchero bikie and member of “The Commission” drug cartel — was in a car which police systems said was registered to someone linked to the Alameddines.

That man was a co-owner of a car business alongside several others, including one who is an associate of known underworld figures Mohamad “Almo” Alameddine and Moustafa Ramlawie.

ASIC documents detail another interesting co-owner of the company — a multi-millionaire businessman, who has no criminal record and when told about the confusion over links between his company and the death of Moradian was taken aback.

“(I) didn’t realise the connection, I’m just a car enthusiast and a silent partner in the car wrap business as a side hobby,” the man, who The Telegraph has decided not to name, said.

“It’s really terrible what’s going on (in the gang war), so let’s hope police can get on top of it.”

However The Daily Telegraph understands despite the initial confusion for police, there was no legitimate links between Moradian, the man or his associates, or the companies he is involved in.

So important have cars become for NSW Police in investigating Sydney’s gang war, that Taskforce Magnus — launched in July in the wake of a spree of fatal shootings — is understood to have incorporated a dedicated team of motor vehicle experts, to work alongside detectives in their investigations.