Bikie hit squad attacked man over $300k debt, Melbourne court hears
MEMBERS of the Comancheros allegedly bashed a man and blasted his house with a high powered rifle when he refused to pay the bikie gang a $300,000 debt, a court has heard.
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AN ALLEGED bikie hit squad is accused of using violent standover tactics to recover a $300,000 debt.
Members of the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang allegedly bashed a man and blasted his house with a high powered rifle when he refused to pay up, a court has heard.
Former Comancheros sergeant-at-arms Samson Bazi appeared before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday night charged with assault and blackmail.
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The court heard Mr Bazi, 34, kicked and punched the victim and said: “We know where you live, you owe us $300,000, come up with the money.”
Police found a black BMW at Mr Bazi’s home on Wednesday that matched the description of a car used in the alleged assault, the court heard.
Mr Bazi’s co-accused, Eren Kaya, Joshua Brennan and Mustafa Akbaba, were charged with firearms offences over an alleged drive-by shooting at the victim’s Greenvale home on March 25.
All three men are linked to the motorcycle gang.
Police alleged the shooting was a further warning to the victim to pay the debt.
Telephone intercepts captured Mr Kaya and Mr Brennan discussing stealing a car and obtaining false license plates in the days before the shooting, the court heard.
The court heard CCTV footage showed Mr Akbaba picking up a narrow cardboard box, which police believe contained a rifle, from a Thomastown pool hall two days before the shooting.
Detective Senior Constable Mat Pesci said Mr Bazi should be denied bail because of his extensive criminal history, “unpredictable behaviour” and potential access to firearms.
“He has demonstrated his willingness to inflict violence towards his victim to (gain) compliance,” Sen-Constable Pesci said.
Sen-Constable Pesci said Mr Bazi was formerly the club’s sergeant-at-arms and a current patched member of the Commancheros.
The court heard Mr Bazi, a father-of-two, was employed as an event organiser for mixed martial arts competitions.
Sen-Constable Pesci said police had yet to find the rifle used in the shooting and feared it could be used in reprisal attacks.
“(These four men) all know where (the victim) lives and we hold concerns for retaliation,” he said.
Magistrate Bob Kumar said Mr Bazi and Mr Kaya posed unacceptable risks to the community and denied their applications for bail.
All four men were remanded and will return to court on May 7.
The charges came after police raids at 18 properties across Melbourne today.
Police arrested 14 men and charged nine following the early morning raids
Five men have been released pending further inquiries.
The crackdown came exactly one year after the killing in Keysborough of an innocent young man, who police believe was shot by Comanchero bikies in a case of mistaken identity.
Homicide detectives suspect the gang ordered that execution and another hit in August last year, which also resulted in the mistaken murder of an innocent man.
The Herald Sun revealed last year the shot that killed Mo Yucel in Keysborough on May 2, 2017 might have been meant for neighbour Farshad Rasooli.
Mr Rasooli, who mixed in bikie circles, had already been the victim of a shooting, surviving a gunshot to the leg.
A fortnight ago, the homicide squad took the extraordinary step of burning parts of bush along the Great Ocean Road in search for clues into Mr Yucel’s murder.
Detectives also believe associates of the Comanchero were behind the mistaken killing of Zabi Ezadyar in Narre Warren in August.
In the latest driveby, a car and garage were peppered with bullets in Greenvale on March 25, although no one was hurt.
Police Assistant Commissioner Tess Walsh said the force would not stand for the intimidation tactics.
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“We know the Comanchero have traditionally been involved in violent crimes,” Ms Walsh said.
“It puts innocent lives of good people at risk.”
Ms Walsh said it was likely other people in the community had been victims of such tactics but felt pressured or scared to speak up.
But police would do all they could to protect victims and anyone who came forward with information that helped police stop outlaw bikies, she said.
“We are not intimidated by them and neither should you be,” Ms Walsh said.
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