John Macris’ alleged killer’s links to Outlaws gang revealed

One of the two brothers facing trial over the shooting murder of former underworld figure John Macris has links to a notorious bikie gang, an investigation has revealed.

• ‘Devastated’: Macris’ widow breaks silence
• ‘My kids watched their dad’s murder on YouTube’

Two hit men on trial over the murder of former gangster claim they are “too dumb: to be the killers but an investigation has found one of the men has links to a notorious bikie gang.

Bulgarian brothers Yuliyanov J Raychev Serafim and Milen Raychev faced an Athens court this week charged with the execution of former Australian underworld figure John Macris, who was gunned down outside his luxurious home in October 2018.

The brothers have denied the charges, claiming they had no motive and argued they were too dumb to be professional killers because they entered Greece on passports in their own name.

Yuliyanov J Raychev Serafim faced trial in Greece this week over the execution-style muder of former Sydney underworld figure John Macris. Picture: Spyros Bakalis

But photographs of Serafim show he has a tattoo of the Outlaws motorcycle club on his left arm, with sources close to the case claiming he was linked to their operations in Canada.

Greek police had revealed that Serafim was linked to Canada at the time of his arrest for Macris’ murder.

He had flown out of Greece the day after he allegedly shot Macris, 46, on October 31, 2018, in a narrow hillside road outside his luxurious home in Voula, Athens.

MORE FROM STEPHEN DRILL

‘Devastated’: Macris’ widow breaks silence

Meghan’s explosive claims ‘distressing’ for Queen, royals

‘Looking ripped’: How Inglis is preparing for UK move

Serafim was understood to have had some links to Australian crime figures while in Canada.

There were also reports in Canada in 2011 where two brothers were charged with kidnapping, robbery and extortion in St Catharines, a town on the shores of Lake Ontario, 20 minutes drive from Niagara Falls.

The brothers had different names but had similar ages to the Bulgarians, with sources claiming they had used false identities in Canada.

Serafim, whose wife and mother supported him in court this week, reportedly owned two tattoo parlours in Canada, but was deported in 2016 after being convicted over a string of robberies, forgery, and weapons charges.

The tattoo on Serafim’s arm linking him to notorious Canadian bikie gang Outlaws. Picture: Supplied

The Outlaws gang’s insignia.

Former Melbourne Comanchero bikie boss Jay Malkoun was attacked by a car bomb outside Mega Gym in Glyfada, Athens on March 1, 2019.

That was the same modern gym, on the side of a busy road, that Macris worked out at before his death.

Greek police have said there was no evidence of links between Macris’ murder and the car bombing of Malkoun, who miraculously survived and returned to Australia almost a year after the attack.

“It’s called cleaning the knife, every four or five years the criminals kill each other and a new crime mafia comes in,” a police source told News Corp Australia.

Murdered former underwold figure John Macris, with model wife Viktoria Karida.

Macris was gunned down in the seaside suburb of Voula, Athens, in October 2018.

Serafim had returned to Greece on March 3, 2019 so would not have been able to be involved in the Malkoun incident, however Greek police feared he was planning another hit when he returned.

He was arrested in April, 2, 2019, with another friend from Bulgaria.

Raychev was picked up in Bulgaria in August 2019 after an international arrest warrant was issued.

Macris was survived by his wife Viktoria Karida, and their two children, Alexandra and Achilles, who were living with him in Greece.

The five-bedroom hilltop home was advertised on Greek real estate websites earlier this year for sale at $2.4 million but was later removed.

It has also been up on short term rental sites, with Ms Karida, a former Playboy model, telling Greek media she has been struggling for money.

Karida confronted her husband’s alleged killers as they faced trial in Greek court this week. Picture: Spyros Bakalis

However, the Ukrainian born reality TV star, now plans to stay in Greece because her children want to grow up there, which she believed was Macris’ wishes.

Ms Karida, who married Marcis on the Greek island of Mykonos in 2016, wept when she faced his accused killers in court this week.

Macris left Sydney in 2013 when there was an arrest warrant out for him on driving charges.

However, he had made enemies in Sydney, and had a feud with the family of former nightclub owner John Ibrahim.

MORE FROM TRUE CRIME AUSTRALIA

Sydney gangster’s kids: ‘Daddy I was loving you always and you died’

Epstein’s Aussie victim’s joy, as new link to royals emerges

Murdered mother’s desperate plea for help while in labour

‘Hard to believe’: holes in police search for Maddie McCann exposed

Serafim’s wife and mother at his trial this week.

Fadi and Michael Ibrahim were charged with conspiring to muder Macris in 2009. The pair denied the allegations and charges were dropped against Fadi, while Michael was acquitted.

Macris had set up a security business in Greece, which was winning lucrative government contracts before his death.

[e-mail]

Originally published as John Macris’ alleged killer’s links to Outlaws gang revealed