Pin-up bikie boss: Male model has emerged as new commander of Comanchero bikie gang in Victoria
A MALE model has emerged as the new commander of the Comanchero bikie gang in Victoria, amid a dangerous split in their top ranks.
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A MALE model has emerged as the new commander of the Comanchero bikie gang in Victoria, amid a dangerous split in their top ranks.
Hasan Topal — who was signed to Chadwick Models agency — has taken charge following the jailing of Mick Murray, the national president.
The feared gang is linked to several executions and drive-by shootings, widespread extortion and drug trafficking.
Topal, 28, last year showed he was prepared to risk his good looks for the gang, smashing a glass into his own forehead during a wild bar brawl.
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Victoria Police’s anti-bikie Echo Taskforce believes Topal has been installed with the blessing of Murray.
Topal did an extensive photoshoot with Chadwick Models in 2013. The images, taken by Lauren Monaco photography, show a series of versatile poses.
In one photograph he puts a fake moustache to his face while wearing a jacket with no shirt.
Another photograph shows him in a white jacket and bow tie with a “blue steel” look.
His ascension to the top Comanchero job in Victoria comes amid fears of a fresh round of violence, with former head Jay Malkoun at loggerheads with Murray.
Police have also stepped up the hunt for the gunmen who shot Murray’s former right hand man Robert Ale in Hampton Park in February.
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Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Paul Topham, of the Echo Taskforce, said Murray trusted Topal, who had risen through the ranks. “Our information is he has been inserted as commander in the absence of Murray,” he said.
Total is facing court proceedings in Canberra after a wild club brawl last year involving other members of the gang. He is alleged to have been caught on CCTV smashing a glass into his own forehead during the fracas.
The 28-year-old ex-model is well connected in the northern suburbs. Police believe he will find someone from his inner circle there for the key sergeant-at-arms position.
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THEY’RE allegedly linked to executions, drive-by shootings, widespread extortion, torture, arson and drug trafficking.
They have fingers in many legitimate pies, from gymnasiums to tattoo parlours, strip clubs to security services.
So it seems incredible that the Comanchero motorcycle gang numbers only 50 members in Victoria, half of whom might be in jail at any given time.
This is one of the state’s — and Australia’s — most influential outfits.
Their boss, the jailed strongman Mick Murray, wants them to be the biggest bikie gang in Australia and will do whatever it takes to get there.
But, as with many powerful, macho organisations, people don’t always see eye to eye. The consequences can mean getting the bullet — literally.
There are strong suspicions the attempted murder of Comanchero Robert Ale last month at a Hampton Park tattoo parlour was an attempt to settle an internal issue.
Ale is the former right-hand man of Murray and is facing serious criminal charges.
He was lucky to survive when a hit team sprayed him with bullets inside the Nitro business, which has been connected to Murray.
The attack on Ale came at a time of instability inside the feared gang. Murray is said to be at odds with former Victorian boss Amad “Jay” Malkoun, who left for the Middle East several years ago but still has significant backers here.
Observers say there has been a noted change in approach from the leadership of Malkoun to the Murray era.
Malkoun, a successful and wealthy criminal, believed in flying under the radar. Many members liked that approach.
Some are thought to be unhappy that the expansionist Murray is unopposed to media attention, believing it makes it harder for them to do business.
There have also been indications of interstate friction.
A vicious fight broke out on the gang’s 2017 national run in Canberra, when Victorian and NSW members came to blows.
One of the key combatants was allegedly the chiselled Hasan Topal, a male model and Murray loyalist who is the new Victorian commander. He is said to have given a good account of himself against the Sydneysiders.
When two West Australian members came to Victoria in 2016 to talk over some issues, they were sent back to Perth with gunshot wounds after being ambushed at a meeting.
The violence is not confined to inside the gang. The Comancheros remain hostile to the Rebels and Bandidos, with incidents to prove it.
Senior gang members are also involved in the security industry. Phoenix companies and frontmen are used to help them stay a step ahead of the regulators.
“People hire Comanchero-aligned security companies and they don’t even know it,” one detective said.
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