Secret police probe into ruthless ‘hit squad’, civil war between Alaneddine crim gang and enforcers KVT
A secret police strike force has been investigating a ruthless new “hit squad” and whether it is being used in an underworld civil war raging between the Alameddine crime gang and their once-loyal enforcers.
Police & Courts
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A secret police strike force has been investigating a new ruthless “hit squad” and whether it is being used in an underworld civil war raging between the Alameddine crime gang and some members of their once-loyal enforcers, the KVT.
A team of detectives has been covertly gathering intelligence since last September on the group, known as the “Afghani crew”, which sources say is led by a ruthless man with an equally brutal team of young men known across the city’s underworld as guns for hire.
Strike Force Kersley was set up last year after rumours of a new gang willing to take on serious criminal jobs, ranging from kidnappings to murder.
Another strike force, Sherringham, had already been set up to look into the Alameddine organised crime network, but police sources said they were now also investigating if the feared crew had split from their long-time allies the KVT.
The strike forces are among 13 that have now been amalgamated under control of the new Taskforce Falcon, which was announced yesterday just hours before Alameddine associate
Dawood Zakaria was pronounced dead in hospital after being shot in the head in a targeted attack in Western Sydney on Sunday.
A key role for Taskforce Falcon, which is made up of more than 150 officers and announced on Tuesday by Police Minister Yasmin Catley and NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson, will be establishing who in the underworld is aligned with whom.
“There is a suggestion that some members of the KVT no longer believe they have to be the little brother to the Alameddines,” a senior NSW Police detective told The Daily Telegraph.
“Getting to the bottom of some of the incidents in the last 12 months – and especially the (Zakaria) shooting on the weekend – will help figure out who is who.”
Sydney was shocked on Sunday when a Toyota HiLux carrying four men was shot at on Church St on the border of Parramatta and Granville, in an attack that also injured Sydney solicitor Sylvan Singh.
Zakaria, 32, was not considered a major underworld player but was an associate of the Alameddines, while Mr Singh, who remained in a stable condition yesterday, has no links to the underworld other than through his legal work.
It has since been claimed in court the intended target of the shooting was 26-year-old Samimjan Azari, who was in the car and had been followed after reporting for bail.
Within hours of the attack, armed police were swooping on known members of the underworld, intending to send a message that any attempt at retaliation would not be tolerated, before announcing the formation of Taskforce Falcon yesterday.
Mr Hudson said the taskforce would combine an investigative arm and a “proactive arm” to stop crimes and attacks before they broke out on the streets, while also looking back at a spree of public place shootings, arson attacks and kidnappings dating back to December 2024.
“(The taskforce) will be involved in suppression activities to ensure that recent violence that we’ve seen on the streets of Sydney over the past six months does not escalate to anything more horrific,” Mr Hudson said.
He said smaller underworld players and third parties would also be targeted.
“We consider those peripheral players in the commission of these jobs as equally responsible as those (who organise them), and we will pursue them,” he said.
Premier Chris Minns also condemned the recent surge in gang-related attacks across NSW, describing the violence yesterday as “appalling”.
“There’s no tolerance for it,” Mr Minns said on ABC Radio. “These are horrifying public displays of violence and the police have a strong track record.”
While acknowledging the community’s frustration that arrests and convictions had not deterred further violence on the streets, Mr Minns maintained that police were actively pursuing suspects.
“My message is, anyone who thinks they can commit these crimes and get away with it is wrong,“ he said.
“It’s disgraceful to think anyone can act with impunity on the streets of Sydney – they can’t and they won’t.
“Let me tell you, if you intend to become a part of these organised gangs, you’re either going to end up in a small cell for the rest of your life or dead in a morgue.”
Taskforce Falcon is the fourth major operation put together by NSW Police since 2021 and follows Strike Force Hawk in 2021, Strike Force Erebus in 2022 and Taskforce Magnus in 2023.
There had been 25 people killed in public-place shootings before Sunday’s attack, many of them linked to recent tit-for-tat feuds involving organised crime networks and bikie gangs, largely over drug territory or personal feuds.
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