Crime clan ‘enforcer’ on run after police raid

Police are searching for an ­alleged ‘enforcer’ of the notorious Alameddine family they accuse of being one of two ‘lieutenants’ linked to an organised crime network.

Police raid the home of the Ezzat Alameddine family at Greystanes in Sydney’s west. Picture: John Feder

Police are searching for an ­alleged “enforcer” of the notorious Alameddine family they accuse of being one of two “lieutenants” linked to an organised crime network, fearing the pair are attempting to flee the country following police raids across Sydney’s southwest.

Masood Zakaria has been ­issued an arrest warrant for conspiracy to murder, ­directing and participating in a criminal group, and serious drugs charges.

More than 100 police officers raided 13 properties on Wednesday linked to Sydney’s Alameddine family, seizing more than $500,000 in cash, firearms, stolen vehicles and illicit drugs.

Zakaria, 26, and Ali Younes, 24, are both wanted by police for allegedly directing a criminal group, with Zakaria the subject of a Serious Crime Prevention Order and expected soon to face serious charges.

On Wednesday, field court attendance notices were filed against Zakaria, including charges of “conspire and agree to murder any person”, two counts of knowingly direct activities of criminal group, supplying a commercial quantity of drugs, dealing with proceeds of crime greater than $100,000, and contravening an SCPO.

He has not yet been charged.

Zakaria is allegedly an “enforcer” for Rafat Alameddine, the leader of the crime family.

Younes, Rafat Alameddine’s cousin, is a rapper with 44,000 followers as verified on Instagram, and was featured in Rolling Stone Australia in August.

Last year, his cousin Talal ­Alameddine pleaded guilty to supplying the gun that was used to murder NSW police accountant Curtis Cheng.

Police sources say they believe Younes’s rap videos directly reference some of the crimes he is accused of committing.

Salim Hamze.

NSW police Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith alleges the pair “procured” members from smaller western Sydney gangs to work for the Alameddine family.

“What we’ve seen is a change in the way outlaw motorcycle gangs operate. What we’re seeing now is youth being procured or groomed through rapper music, youth participating in violent crime through the network of these rapper videos.

“They’re basically groomed by the syndicate to carry out public place shootings, violent crime, murder,” Commissioner Smith said.

Police believe more than seven murders have been linked to the activities of the group.

“We’re going to allege that these two individuals are connected to the Comanchero Outlaw Motorcycle Group and we believe that the syndicate’s value in net worth is more than $200m a year,” Commissioner Smith said.

The raids come as the Alameddine and Hamze turf war escalates, with an increasing amount of drive-by shootings occurring over the past few months.

A daylight shooting left two members of the Hamze crime family, Salim and his father, Toufik, dead in October.

In February, a bullet narrowly missed a nurse at Auburn Hospital after a passing car shot up the home of Bilal Hamze’s mother, who had previously been shot in the legs at her home’s front door.

Four months later, Bilal Hamze himself was dead, gunned down in Sydney’s CBD after dining on $200 worth of Wagyu beef, kingfish and sashimi in one of the city’s more upmarket restaurants.

Two individuals were arrested during the dawn raids and have been charged with serious offences but police are searching for two men who went missing in the 12 hours before the raids.