Sydney gangland leader Abuzar Sultani admits leading ruthless crew of killers

Feared gangland leader Abuzar Sultani demanded absolute loyalty from his crew of followers – and $50 a week. Find out why.

Abuzar ‘Abs’ Sultani was nothing if not prepared.

Fresh off a stint with the Rebels bikie gang and already having made a name for himself as a feared organised crime figure, Sultani knew the police were gunning for him.

That meant legal bills – big ones.

So the university-educated son of Afghan immigrants implemented a novel system among his crew of Burwood boys when he brought them together in 2013: a payment of $50 per man, per week, which would be funnelled into a kitty to stump up for lawyers when the need arose.

It’s unclear how Sultani’s followers felt about the deal, or how much money ended up in the legal pool, but it is just one of many examples of how Sultani used his influence and intelligence to get his way.

INSIDE THE CREW

The inner workings of Sultani’s gang, including the litany of violent crimes they committed to appease their boss, have been laid bare in never-before-seen court documents, which reveal he was not above turning on his own people if he thought they were cheating him.

The documents outline an incident in August 2015 in which Sultani and his boys lured a fellow gang member to a western Sydney kebab shop and brutally attacked him, under the false belief he had failed to deliver money collected on behalf of the gang.

Rebels bikie Michael Davey was killed by Abs Sultani.

Mafia boss Pasquale Barbaro was also killed by Sultani.

Abuzar Sultani pleaded guilty to the murders of Pasquale Barbaro, Mehmet Yelmaz and Michael Davey.

The misunderstanding was soon resolved – another person with the same nickname was responsible for the missing coin – but not before Sultani and his group beat the man almost senseless, leaving him with fractures to his jaw, hand, elbow and ribs.

To add insult to significant injury, the group handed him a mop and bucket at the end of the bashing and ordered him to clean his own blood off the floor.

The court documents reveal another violent incident at the same kebab shop a year later came about when a random diner was seen to leave an empty Coke can in the gutter after eating.

Incensed at the act, Sultani directed his boys to drag the man out of his car. They punched and kicked him until he managed to crawl back into the vehicle and make a getaway.

BLURRED LINES

Sultani once told a psychologist he joined the Rebels for the “brotherhood and the backup” and “to be a part of something”.

He decided early on in his leadership that he would look after his crew, but they would have to earn their keep.

Court documents reveal Sultani set up several legitimate businesses that ran alongside his illegitimate ones, predominantly in the labour hire and traffic control industry.

Abuzar Sultani being arrested in 2016. Picture: Channel 7 News

He employed several of his fellow gang members in jobs, but the lines between clean and dirty quickly blurred, and the court heard vehicles registered to his legitimate companies were often used by associates to carry out crimes.

But perhaps one of his more creative crossovers was using the personal details of potential employees in the legitimate businesses to establish safe houses for the gang across Sydney.

One aspiring lollipop man was astonished to learn from police that his details had been used to set up an electricity account for an address he’d never set eyes on.

He told detectives he had previously expressed an interest in working for one of Sultani’s legitimate businesses and had filled out his personal details on an employment form and provided his licence as part of the interview process.

THE NOT-SO-SAFE HOUSES

Safe houses were the key to Sultani’s entire operation.

Pictured is Abuzar Sultani was handed three.

He had at least five spread throughout Sydney and used them to store a cache of drugs and guns – the money makers at the centre of his growing criminal enterprise.

Sultani and his boys would come and go from the properties at leisure, and felt free to talk openly while inside.

Little did they know that detectives had bugged the homes and were listening in on every conversation.

Eventual raids on each of the properties netted a treasure trove of weaponry: at one home alone, police discovered 12 firearms in a cupboard by the front door, along with a large collection of ammunition.

In another home, which belonged to one of Sultani’s crew, officers uncovered a further dozen guns.

Court documents reveal police also deployed undercover operatives to befriend Sultani and buy drugs and guns from his crew.

During the operation, Sultani sold at least 1.5kg of methamphetamine a kilogram of MDMA and a Norinco-branded shortened self-loading rifle to the police moles.

THE CHARGES:

Sultani has pleaded guilty to the following charges and will face sentencing in the NSW District Court next month.

*Knowingly direct activities of criminal group

*Supply prohibited drug – large commercial quantity (x3)

*Supply prohibited firearm to unauthorised person

*Robbery in company

*Assault occasioning bodily harm in company