The remnants of the high-profile Alameddine crime gang have been unravelled in Australia, police say, following sweeping raids that led to the arrest of more than a dozen people – including notorious rapper Ali “Ay Huncho” Younes.
A 250-officer strong operation, launched in Sydney’s south-west at 3am Wednesday, was targeting a major drug network. It followed the alleged shutdown of 26 “drug-run phones” connected to more than 50,000 alleged users.
Ali Younes, known as Ay Huncho in the rap community.
Sydney has been home to a deadly drug war largely centred on two high-profile names – the Alameddines and the Hamzys – which NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson alleged were behind many of the 20 killings linked to organised crime since 2020.
Strike Force Wessex was launched last April, after police allegedly discovered a major “dial-a-dealer” drug network while investigating four gangland murders. They included the brazen killing of 39-year-old Omar Zahed, gunned down in an Auburn gym in May 2022. His brother and Comanchero boss Tarek survived up to 10 bullet wounds in the same attack.
As police cracked down on the alleged dangerous underworld of the Alameddine crew, many members fled to Lebanon.
Now, police say they’ve caught who is left on Australian shores. While the 15 men arrested in the 3am raids on Wednesday did not share the Alameddine name, Hudson told journalists he believed the search warrants “eradicated” their clan in the country. None of those arrested have been charged in connection to the gangland killings.
Ali Younes was arrested about 10am on Wednesday.Credit: NSW Police
“We are quite confident that conflict between the Hamzys and the Alameddines has now been resolved,” he said.
“They’ve [the Alameddine gang] been around for a long time; when you look at the quantity of product they were distributing, we will allege that this network was making up to $1 million per week profit, which is a significant amount of money, which drives this conflict, fuels the violence [and] fuels the antagonism between the groups.”
In a “dial-a-dealer” network, major drug dealers use runners to drive to users and exchange drugs for cash.
Strike Force Wessex was established by the State Crime Command’s criminal groups squad and the NSW Crime Commission. Their raids were assisted by officers in various State Crime Command squads, as well as resources from the public order and riot squad, Forensic Evidence and Technical Services Command and State Intelligence Command.
Among those arrested was “drill rapper” Younes, whom police took in about 10am on Wednesday. Drill rap lyrics often refer to using weapons on rival gang members from other Sydney postcodes.
State Crime Command’s criminal groups squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Grant Taylor, said Younes was in custody awaiting to be questioned over an aggravated kidnapping in Granville on January 19 and allegedly participating in a criminal group. He has not been charged.
“We were in a position to capture a significant amount of evidence to allege that he was a principal in that [alleged] kidnapping and that will obviously be something for the courts moving forward,” he said.
“That person has always been very closely aligned with individuals that we have been investigating in the Alameddine syndicate for time immemorial,” he alleged. Younes has not been charged with any other crimes connected to the Alameddine group.
Weapons allegedly seized during the raids.Credit: NSW Police
Another high-profile target arrested over alleged drug-related offences was Ali Elmoubayed. He has also not been charged with any offence.
As for those who have fled to Lebanon or Turkey, Hudson told journalists there were “no safe havens”.
Referring to accused international crime boss Bilal Haouchar, who was arrested in Lebanon in November after fleeing the country several years ago, and was on Australia’s most wanted list at the time of his arrest, Hudson said, “Bilal Haouchar will attest to that he sits in his jail cell in Lebanon.”
The alleged leader of the Alameddine gang, Rafat Alameddine, has been living freely in Lebanon since November 2022 when he left Sydney weeks after being cleared of assaulting an Uber driver, The Daily Telegraph reported. Alameddine has not been charged with any offences related to the underworld war.
More suspicious items allegedly discovered during the raids.Credit: NSW Police
Earlier this month, Strike Force Wessex detectives shut down 26 phones allegedly used for drug runs and sent messages to some of the more than 50,000 alleged customers, reading, “The NSW Police Force: Strike Force Wessex has identified this number engaging with an organised crime drug supply ‘dial-a-dealer’ phone.
“If this continues you may be subject to further investigation. Cease all contact now.”