Bilal Haouchar to face Lebanese courts as NSW cops prep evidence

Accused international crime boss Bilal Haouchar is already holed up in a Lebanese jail cell, but now a move by police could see him face a fresh set of woes.

NSW Police are preparing a brief of evidence against alleged Sydney gangster Bilal Haouchar so Lebanese authorities can prosecute him in their own courts.

Haouchar was on Australia’s most wanted list when arrested at a Beirut casino with four Sydney associates on November 15.

The 38-year-old is allegedly one of the most influential crime figures in the Sydney underworld despite having fled the city in 2018 before he could be fitted with a court ordered electronic monitoring bracelet.

Since then, NSW police claim he and family members have built up a $1 billion drug empire.

While Haouchar was being locked up in Lebanon, more than 20 members of the alleged crime syndicate including his brother Nedal had been or were being arrested back in Sydney.

Bilal Haouchar’s arrest shot taken in Lebanon.

NSW Police State Crime Command officers said the 12 month operation and arrests had dealt one of the most significant blows to organised crime in Sydney for decades.

Many in the underworld were boasting Bilal would be out in days.

“He has huge influence and enormous amounts of money … he won’t be in jail for long,’’ a number of underworld sources told the Telegraph after his arrest.

Haouchar remains behind bars in Lebanon.

It was believed Haouchar, born in Sydney but who holds Lebanese citizenship due to his heritage, would somehow buy his way out.

Now more than two months later, he is still in prison with no sign of him being released.

“We continue to work with Lebanese authorities and commonwealth agencies regarding the exchange of information and brief of evidence,’’ said a spokesman for the NSW State Crime Command.

One of Sydney's most wanted men Bilal Haouchar (right) with Mohamad Arnaout (left).

Because of his Lebanese parents it was considered that there was no prospect of Haouchar being charged or being extradited back to Australia.

Legal sources have told the Telegraph there is legislation which allows the government to charge Lebanese nationals for offences carried out overseas.

“It’s rarely done but the bigger problem for Bilal will be if NSW Police is accusing him of drug trafficking on a large scale,’’ said a legal source.

“That is really frowned upon in Lebanon and they could even kick him out of the country as an undesirable, which means he could be arrested if he ends up transiting through a country where Australia has an extradition treaty,’’ he said.

It’s believed Lebanese authorities took millions of US dollars from Haouchar’s home as well as a number of firearms, watches and prestige cars.

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Originally published as Bilal Haouchar to face Lebanese courts as NSW cops prep evidence