Younger brother of Comanchero Tarek Zahed fights ‘drug money’ charges in court

Abdul Zahed faced Burwood court on Tuesday, almost two months after his brothers were targeted in a brazen underworld shooting at an Auburn gym.

The brother of Comanchero bikies Tarek and Omar Zahed has denied two bundles of cash discovered inside his car during a police search were the spoils of successful drug deals.

Abdul Zahed, 37, fronted Burwood Local Court in the custody of prison staff on Tuesday to contest two charges of knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime after detectives stopped his vehicle at Enfield on July 29 last year and unearthed cash in the car’s centre console and inside a blue canvas bag in the body of the car.

Officers also discovered a small amount of drugs inside a McDonalds bag.

Zahed pleaded guilty to drug possession and two charges of driving with a suspended licence, but not guilty to the two proceeds of crime charges.

His lawyer, Jessica Tohi, said the vehicle belonged to one of Zahed’s associates and there was no forensic evidence linking him to either bundle of cash, noting he only had $50 in his pocket when police searched him.

(L-R) Shooting victim Omar, Comanchero bikie boss Tarek and younger brother Abdul Zahed - who is fighting two proceeds of crime charges.

She also said the seven phones found inside the vehicle all underwent close examination by specialist police, which “did not reveal anything untoward”.

“It did not reveal any coded language in relation to drugs or money laundering, or even a user of those devices,” she said.

Abdul’s brothers Omar (left) and Tarek (right) were shot in May in an unrelated incident.

For Omar, the Auburn BodyFit gym attack was fatal. Picture: John Grainger

Police prosecutor Sergeant Mel Harris argued the combination of the discovery of the drugs, the mobile phones and where the cash was found in the car amounted to “reasonable grounds” for the court to suspect the money was the proceeds of crime.

Magistrate Peter Budgen reserved his decision until Friday.

The court case comes almost two months after Abdul’s brothers Omar and Tarek were targeted in an underworld shooting at an Auburn gym. Omar was killed in the brazen attack and Tarek left fighting for life.

Abdul sought Supreme Court bail a week later to attend his brother’s funeral but it was denied.

Abdul remains behind bars on remand on separate matters which are due to be heard at court next month.