The life and times of slain bikie prince Mick Hawi

CRIME boss Mahmoud “Mick” Hawi lived through the height of Sydney’s 2009 bikie wars and was known for embellishing the flashy outlaw lifestyle. But in the end, his colourful past caught up with him in the carpark of Sydney gym.

CRIME boss Mahmoud “Mick” Hawi might have lived through the height of Sydney’s 2009 bikie wars, but his colourful past caught up with him when he was the victim of a brazen daylight execution in the carpark of a Fitness First gym in the city’s south.

As the national leader of one of Australia’s most feared outlaw motorcycle gangs, Hawi took his personal safety seriously and was known to sometimes travel in a bulletproof vehicle.

Hawi was known for having “arms as big as legs”.

Married to his high school sweetheart and with two children, the former president of Comanchero gang cheated death in 2007 when the Audi he was travelling in was shot at after a lunch meeting with members of the Finks bikie gang at Leichhardt’s Grappa Ristorante.

Hawi later boasted one bullet round had been lodged into his car seat headrest.

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Two years later, two inmates of Broken Hill prison — a high-profile Middle Eastern underworld figure, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and his underling — discussed the cost of ordering a hit on Hawi and the gang’s sergeant-at-arms.

The underworld figure said the hit never went ahead because he couldn’t find anyone to take the contract. Sydney’s heavyweight bikie boss was able to cheat death once more.

Hawi had a taste for flashy gold and diamond jewellery

The Comanchero president was known for being well-groomed.

Hawi seemed untouchable. He was well-groomed, sported obligatory bikie bling, escaped multiple attempts on his life and had even beaten a charge of glassing a women at his uncle Charlie Saleh’s Sapphire Suite nightclub.

Despite making his way to the top of the underworld, he had never seen the inside of a prison cell, with his criminal record only containing charges of driving while disqualified, offensive language and possessing a prescribed restricted substance.

Then on Sunday March 22, 2009, everything changed.

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Hawi was on flight QF430 from Melbourne to Sydney alongside four of his fellow Comanchero members when he spotted the unmistakeable wings of the Hells Angels on the T-shirt of Derek Wainohu in seat 39K.

Wainohu was the president of the Hells Angels Sydney chapter and in the tit for tat warring between bikie gangs, each called for reinforcements to be waiting at Sydney.

And on the ground all hell broke loose. A wild brawl erupted in front of terrified travellers and children, which left Hells Angel associate ­Anthony Zervas, 29, dead. He was clubbed with a 17kg metal bollard and stabbed with a pair of scissors.

CCTV footage captured the fatal airport brawl in Sydney.

Public outrage at the brazen violence led police to set up Strike Force Raptor, which has aggressively targeted bikie gangs in their homes, clubhouses, brothels and on their beloved bikes.

The following month, Hawi had vanished and there were reports he was on the run from police who wanted to question him about his involvement in the fatal bikie brawl.

The Comanchero bikie chief’s lawyer issued a statement, saying Hawi would honour arrangements to meet with detectives.

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Beirut-born Hawi, who had been a driving force behind recruiting young men of Middle Eastern ­backgrounds into the gangs, handed himself in to police and was charged with murder.

The case against him was not that he had struck the fatal blows but had been part of a joint criminal enterprise to inflict grievous bodily harm upon the Hells Angels.

Sentenced to a non-parole ­period of at least 21 years, Hawi had to give up the presidency of the ­Comanchero club he had held since the age of 22.

Hawi had to give up the presidency of the ­Comanchero club when he was sent to jail for the airport brawl.

His bodyguard, Daux Ngakuru, took over as commander but months after throwing a booze cruise on Sydney Harbour for 350 Comanchero members, he fled overseas as police unravelled the group’s web of organised crime.

The ambitious Mark Buddle ­anointed himself national president but he has also gone into hiding after the fatal shooting of a security guard.

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Police believe he may be in ­Turkey with fellow Comanchero and drug dealer Hakan Ayik, who left in 2010 ahead of his arrest over a $230 million heroin smuggling operation.

During this time, Hawi won his ­appeal and his murder conviction was overturned. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and affray and was jailed for six years, two months with a non-parole period of three years, six months.

His wife Carolina Gonzales, his parents, brother and three sisters were waiting for him on his release in May 2015.

His wife Carolina Gonzales was Hawi’s high school sweetheart.

His family had moved to Australia in 1985 where a court was told Hawi had an “uneventful, if meagre childhood”. He left high school at 16 to join his father’s spray painting business before establishing a ­refrigerated transport company in 2007 which collapsed when he was taken into custody.

He was also known for calling for peace talks between rival gang leaders, acknowledging public concern for safety. The bikie boss announced he was barring his members from wearing gang colours or riding their bikes.

And following the Cronulla riots in 2005, when young Middle Eastern Australians clashed with a largely “Anglo” crowd, he appealed for calm and met the Bra Boys — an infamous Maroubra gang.

Mick Hawi smirks as he leaves Kings Street Courts in custody. Picture: Bradley Hunter

It’s unclear why a man who was known for taking precautions allowed himself to fall victim to a brazen daylight execution, but in February this year the 37-year-old bikie was assassinated by a balaclava-clad assailant.

The attacker was on foot when they shot Hawi through the driver’s side of his borrowed, or hired, black Mercedes 4WD, as it sat outside the door of the Rockdale Fitness First just after 12pm.

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It is believed Hawi suffered multiple heart attacks after being shot.

CCTV footage showed the gunman getting into a grey Mercedes — stolen during a carjacking nine months earlier — that was dumped and torched on nearby Chandler St, Rockdale, before the duo took off in a second getaway car.

Rumours that Hawi had a $10 million price on his head were rubbished by police who said: “No gangster’s life is worth that much, doesn’t matter who you are.”

The former bikie boss was shot in the car park of a Fitness First gym in Rockdale, Sydney. Picture: Toby Zerna

Forensic officers remained on the scene, focusing mainly on the driver’s side of the black Mercedes 4WD, under the wheels of the passenger side and the entrance to the gym directly adjacent to the car.

Particular time and attention was also placed on photographing an unknown piece of evidence about five metres in front of the vehicle.

A number of shell casings were visible alongside up to 14 forensics markers scattered around the car and beside the entry point.

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A gym bag lay strewn against the front wheel on the driver’s side with a number of other items scattered nearby.

Police were also on high-alert for fear of reprisal attacks for Hawi’s murder.

“One of the things that we will focus on … Is ensuring we put sufficient resources out there to prevent any retribution that may occur as a result of his shooting,” Assistant Commissioner Lanyon said.

The gunman was on foot when he fired into the vehicle. Picture: Toby Zerna

Hawi did not take his usual precautions. Picture: Toby Zerna

In June this year, Detective Chief Inspector Steve Patton said police were focusing on whether Hawi’s death was related to him collecting debts linked to the construction industry.

Several police sources confirmed the a wealthy Sydney property developer had become a “person of interest” in the case, after receiving information Hawi was possibly trying to extort $300,000 from him at the time of his death.

Another rumour suggested Hawi’s assassin is said to be a member of the rival Lone Wolf motorcycle gang, aged in his 30s who spent time in prison and was a former friend.

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Official sources said Hawi and the killer were friends but fell out about a year ago after Hawi chastised him over his treatment of a woman.

Another source said Hawi cut the man out of his social circle because of his volatile behaviour.

A source close to Hawi has revealed a factional dispute within the Comanchero gang may have also led to the hit.

He said the murder, signed off on by Australian-based Comanchero members, may have come from a former gang rival living in Dubai.

There was a large turnout for Hawi’s funeral, although no bikies wore their colours. Photo Jeremy Piper

The 37-year-old was buried in the Islamic section of Rookwood Cemetery after bikies mourned the slain Comanchero leader at his funeral in the southern Sydney suburb of Arncliffe.

Hawi’s grieving widow, Carolina Gonzalez, travelled to the Al-Zahra mosque in a white Rolls Royce with their two children, while others arrived in a fleet of luxury vehicles.

In the hours after Hawi’s death, his wife was given permission to posthumously extract sperm from her dead husband in the NSW Supreme Court, but this month the court was informed that Ms Gonzalez no longer wished to continue with the proceedings “for personal reasons”

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On Thursday morning, police raided several properties across south Sydney over the daylight execution of Hawi.

Strike force investigators swooped on six properties, including a Padstow business and a white weatherboard Beverley Hills home, after 7am on Thursday looking for evidence.

They also raided properties in Bardwell Park, Brighton Le-Sands, Carlton and Hursville.

Criminal Groups Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Deb Wallace, said Hawi’s murder was calculated and well-planned, but police are continually piecing together the movements of those involved.

Originally published as The life and times of slain bikie prince Mick Hawi