Alleged Alameddine ‘associate’ Fadi Zreika arrested in gangland raids

A man allegedly linked to the notorious Alameddine crime family has been arrested as police work to quell a bitter underworld feud with their rivals the Hamzys.

An alleged ‘associate’ of the notorious Alameddine crime family has been charged with gun possession as part of a police crackdown on a bloody gangland war with their bitter rivals the Hamzys.

Western Sydney man Fadi Zreika, 19, was on Tuesday at 7am arrested at his Guildford home after police found a replica pistol, two knuckle dusters and an electronic stun device during a raid.

The 19-year-old, who is allegedly linked to the infamous Alameddine family, was charged with gun and weapon possession and refused bail to front Parramatta Local Court today.

Alameddine ‘associate’ Fadi Zreika was arrested on Tuesday as part of a police crackdown on the crime family feud. Source: NSW Police

Zreika was charged with firearm and weapon possession charges. Picture: John Appleyard

The arrest comes as part of a major police crackdown on organised crime following several shootings believed to be linked to the longstanding feud between the Alameddine and Hamzy crime families. Zreika is not charged with any involvement in the shootings.

The Hamzy family is led by Brothers 4 Life gang founder Bassam Hamzy, who is serving time for murder in Goulburn Supermax prison. One of the most notorious members of the Alameddines, Talal, is in prison for his involvement in the murder of police accountant Curtis Cheng.

As part of the crackdown, police raided properties in Guilford, Merrylands and Granville. Source - NSW Police

Police also seized a Mercedes-Benz, jet ski and about $85,000 cash during the operation. Photo: NSW Police

Just weeks ago, police raised concerns the feud between the families was escalating when a home in Merrylands was rained with a volley of bullets while five people were inside in a suspected case of mistaken identity.

Police believe the February 20 shooting on Lockwood Street in Merrylands was a result of the dispute between the warring families, with a well-known member of the Alameddine family living next door.

The shooting came just four days after a nurse was injured when a stray bullet smashed through a window at Auburn Hospital, a bullet police believe was targeting a nearby home of matriarch Maha Hamzy.

On January 30, the violence again spilt onto public streets when an innocent bystander, Mustafa Naaman, was shot in Hurstville, when the real target was suspected to be a Hamzy.

In a desperate bid to stop the violence, police established Strike Force Durok and on Tuesday morning raided properties in Guildford, Merrylands and Granville, with assistance from

the Criminal Groups Squad, Raptor Squad, South West Metropolitan Operations Support Group, Public Order and Riot Squad and the Dog Unit.

During the searches, police seized a Mercedes-Benz, jet ski, about $85,000 cash, weapons, cannabis, electronics, documents and other items, all of which will undergo examination. These items did not belong to Fadi.

The rivalry between the families came to a head in October when Hamzy patriarch Mejid Hamzy was shot dead outside his Condell Park home following years of escalating violence.

A drug theft by the Alameddines from the Hamzys is what police believe sparked the gangland war.

The dispute saw one of Fadi’s relatives and another associate of the Alameddines, Shaylin Zreika, on October 14 being beaten in Sefton with a metal pole by three men who police allege were Ibrahim Hamzy and his relatives.

Police made the allegations while applying for Serious Crime Prevention Orders in the Supreme Court in December.

The orders over Ghassan Amoun and Ibrahim Hamzy were granted, with the court hearing there was a real and significant risk the defendants could be involved in serious crimes in the future.

Three days after Shaylin was set upon, gunshots were fired into Ibrahim Hamzy’s home in Auburn. Then, on October 19, the home of Rafat Alameddine was shot at, hours before Mejid Hamzy was shot dead.

Police inquiries into organised crime activity in Sydney’s west and southwest are set to continue under Strike Force Durok.