Senior Alameddine among gangsters and bikies handed five-year bans in Kings Cross blitz

Gangsters and bikies are being kicked out of Kings Cross for five years in a major police crackdown as the former red light district roars back to life.

Gangsters and bikies are being kicked out of a rejuvenated Kings Cross and banned for five years under a daring new scheme cooked up by police and the nightclubs themselves.

It can be revealed bars, pubs and clubs in the famed night-time district have given police the green light to block any known member of a criminal group from entering their establishment.

Police have gladly begun enforcing the new system and were handing out the “multi-venue banning orders” on Saturday night as part of massive crackdown known as Operation Eris.

One senior member of the notorious Alameddine clan in a $350,000 Lamborghini and, separately, two bikie associates were stopped during the night, handed the orders and sent packing. They will not be permitted to enter a Kings Cross venue for five years.

More than 20 people have been served the orders so far.

Police conduct a search outside the Flamingo Lounge amid a massive crackdown in Kings Cross. Picture: Matrix

Australian Hotels Association NSW director of liquor and policing John Green said the industry and police had teamed up on bad behaviour.

“A multi-venue banning system is where local licensees, in this case the Kings Cross Liquor Accord, agree troublesome patrons are barred from all venues in an area,” he said.

The night-time population of the Cross has quadrupled in a couple of months, with 20 new clubs opening. Picture: Matrix

During Operation Eris in Kings Cross on Sunday night, police arrested 10 people, laid 12 charges and issued three multi-venue banning orders to known OMCG affiliates.

Three men aged 24, 27 and 39 — who are known OMCG affiliates — were issued the banning orders, which prohibits entry to any licensed premises in the Kings Cross area for five years.

During the operation, local police were assisted by some of the crews from the Raptor Squad, the Dog Unit and Mounted Unit, along with others working on intelligence to target known OMCG members.

Kings Cross Police Area Commander and Superintendent Chris Nicholson said that Operation Eris is an ongoing initiative that “provides safety and reassurance to the local community” in the Kings Cross without the fear of anti-social behaviour and violence.

Overnight, police made ten arrests as part of Operation Eris. Picture: Matrix

“Using our intelligence and a wide range of policing resources we will identify members of OMCG and OCN and use available police powers to prevent them entering licensed premises and the broader precinct,” he said.

“Through the deployment of a wide range of policing resources the NSWPF will ensure the safe return of patrons to Kings Cross, and the early identification of OMCG and OCN members who are not welcome and will be removed using all available police powers.”

Those who refuse to accept the ban can be charged with trespassing or, if the situation escalates, hindering police or even resisting arrest.

A similar strategy was used in Western Sydney when bikie club houses were shut down and they began using licensed premises to meet up and party.

Multiple arms of the force have been involved in the operation, including mounted police patrolling the city streets. Picture: Matrix

In the past eight weeks the numbers of revellers in the Cross has exploded from an average 3000 people on a Saturday night up to 12,000.

About 20 new clubs have opened.

Kings Cross Police Superintendent Chris Nicholson said: “It’s great to see the night-time economy beginning to boom and we want to continue that by making it safe”.

“Residents should be able to wake up on Sunday morning and not be confronted with crime scene tape in the streets.

“Even with all the extra people recently there has not been a spike in incidents.”

A black Lamborghini four wheel drive comes under scrutiny. Picture: Matrix

Police were also patrolling backstreets to make sure ­people were not getting rear access to venues and set up RBTs in Woolloomooloo and William St.

“We are using every available tool to keep the wrong people out of the Cross,” Supt Nicholson said.

Even if police discover, ­retrospectively, that a gang affiliate has been to a Kings Cross club they can be given a banning order.

Just after 1.15am Sunday a detective spotted a black Lamborghini four wheel drive on Darlinghurst Rd and checked the registration.

Within minutes, a rego check revealed the $350,000 luxury car was supposed to be yellow and officers from the gang-focused Raptor Squad swooped.

The driver was a well-known member of the Alameddine family. Picture: Matrix

The driver – a well known Alameddine family member – was behind the wheel and was then served with a banning notice before being allowed to leave.

It was discovered a “black nylon’’ skin had been applied to disguise the yellow car the gang member was known to drive.

A senior NSW officer said the gangsters were under pressure because of their own actions, with many of the ­recent gangland shootings carried out in busy public ­places.

It is known that days ­before Comanchero Tarek Zahed was shot in May, in an attack that claimed the life of his brother Omar, that the pair had been in Kings Cross.

“When crime figures who are known targets are in crowded nightclubs there is a real fear someone totally innocent will be shot,’’ the ­officer said.

Within 30 minutes of police hitting the street on Saturday night, social media lit up, with some users complaining their “dial-a-dealers’’ would not come in the area.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Police Paul Toole said it was important for local residents and patrons to feel safe in the Kings Cross precinct.

“We want to see our night-time economy thrive and that means seeing people out with their family or friends enjoying themselves in a safe manner,” Mr Toole said.

“The message is simple, if you are part of a criminal organised network or you are associated with one, you are not welcome here.”