Beauty queen, insurance broker and Alameddine arrested as police seize Rolls-Royce, Lamborghinis in $12 million crime blitz
Nearly 150 cops stormed homes and high-rise apartments across Sydney at dawn, arresting six people and seizing luxury cars, cash, drugs and weapons in a major blitz on organised crime.
A former beauty queen, an insurance broker and a member of the Alameddine family are among those arrested in a major organised crime crackdown that saw supercars, cash, weapons and designer goods seized from an alleged network linked to the “Afghani Crew”.
More than 150 officers swarmed properties across Sydney on Tuesday, executing 10 search warrants and 11 Firearm Prohibition orders as part of Taskforce Falcon’s ongoing crackdown on organised crime.
Officers seized mobile phones, prohibited weapons, drugs, $21,000 in cash and high-end watches and jewellery.
The NSW Crime Commission additionally seized a Rolls-Royce Dawn and a Lamborghini Huracan - each valued at $600,000 - along with a 2024 BMW XM worth $300,000.
“By removing their finances and seizing their assets it will disrupt them significantly from conducting their activities,” Commander of Task Force Falcon Det-Supt Jason Box said.
It is understood police believe the network is linked to the “Afghani Crew”, an underworld guns-for-hire gang.
Former Miss Lebanon Australia Najah Jackson-Ghamrawi, 27, was among those arrested. She was taken into custody by Raptor Squad officers in Sans Souci, where they allegedly found her carrying a weapon.
The beauty queen was crowned Miss Lebanon Emigrant Australia in 2016, competing against the sister of disgraced Auburn Deputy mayor Salim Mehajer, Mary.
She was charged with possess or use a prohibited weapon without permit and was granted conditional bail to appear in Bankstown Court later this month.
Georges Hall insurance broker Ali Jundi, 35 - whose business was peppered with bullets in a drive-by shooting in May - was arrested and charged with a string of drug and fraud offences, including three counts of supplying a prohibited drug, three counts of dishonesty to obtain financial advantage, two counts of knowingly deal with proceeds of crime and five counts of possessing a prohibited drug.
Asset confiscation action was launched against Jundi, with unexplained wealth orders totalling $12.4 million.
In Bankstown, police arrested 22-year-old Ahmed Ghamrawi, charging him with possessing an unauthorised pistol and supplying prohibited drugs.
Fairfield resident Nidal Alameddine was also arrested in Bankstown and charged with two counts of using a prohibited weapon contrary to a firearms prohibition order.
Alameddine appeared in Bankstown local court on Tuesday, where he entered a not guilty plea to both charges. Magistrate Walsh granted the 38-year-old conditional bail.
“Some of the organised crime networks work on their own, some of them cross over and utilise the assistance of others, and some seek assistance from persons that would never have been under notice before,” Det-Supt Box said.
At Wetherhill Park, 28-year-old Raya Dib was arrested and charged with using false documents to influence exercise of public duty and two counts of failing to comply with digital evidence order. She was granted bail to appear in court in January.
In Barangaroo, 27-year-old Mohamed Maksoud was arrested and charged with serious drug supply and possession offences and failing to comply with a digital evidence access order.
“All aspects of the frauds and the assets that we’ve seized are currently being investigated,“ Det Supt Box said.
“There are still other persons connected that we’re looking at and any cross over of organised crime.”
Email: rory.williams@news.com.au
