[2] Since October 2020, the Alameddines have grown to public notoriety in connection to an extended feud they became involved in with the Hamzy/Hamze crime family, the most dominant faction of the Brothers for Life organisation, within the Sydney gangland war of the early 2020s.
[5] As of March 2024, police in Australia claim to have dismantled the remnants of the notorious Alameddine crime gang after a series of raids led to over a dozen arrests, including rapper Ali "Ay Huncho" Younes.
[6] In October 2015, Talal Alameddine, who was accused of supplying the firearm used in the fatal shooting of NSW Police accountant Curtis Cheng, was denied bail and scheduled to appear in court on 10 December of that year.
[8][9] During legal proceedings, Talal Alameddine famously remarked 'my beard is for ISIS' to officials, implying a potential connection, whether literal or ideological, between the network and Islamic extremist groups.
[13] On 11 December 2017, Mark Morri of The Daily Telegraph reported that terrorist Man Haron Monis had purchased the shotgun used in the Lindt Cafe siege from a "well-known Middle Eastern crime family" 48 hours before the attack.
[16] On 25 May 2022, The Daily Telegraph reported that court papers identified "members of the group downloading and watching promotional videos produced by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) that encourage terrorist acts and violent extremism.”[16] From May to June 2017, an undercover police operation was commenced by the counter-terrorism unit targeting illicit weapons and drug supply.
Azari, in addition to his main charges, also pleaded guilty to "six form-one offences relating to the unauthorised supply of pistol parts, ammunition, and the MDMA and cash found in his home.
[11] On 11 August 2021, the Sydney Morning Herald published an article that identified solicitor Abdulrahim 'Abdul' Saddik[19] as the head of Bilal's legal team, and Tomislav Bicanic as his barrister.
[20] Abdul Saddik also represents many other members of the Alameddine clan, including Trente Jeske,[19] Ali 'Ay Huncho' Younes[19] and Asaad Alahmad,[19] as well as Talal,[19] Hamdi,[19] and family boss Rafat.
"[11] Azari's sentencing in this case is unclear based on online sources, though it is known that he was at least out of prison as early as June 2023, when he was involved in a public-place brawl at Pitt Street Mall with other senior Alameddine clan members.
[30] Greenfield has also gained media coverage for her links to reputed underworld figure Luke 'Fat Boy' Sparos, who in the past, she had provided a $100,000 surety for whilst he was seeking bail on charges connected to the November 2020 attempted murder of DLASTHR gangster Samer Marcus.
[31] Greenfield also has links to Yowie Bay discount carpet seller Leo Lewin, a fellow businessperson who also previously operated a business called Tyres for Less.
[35] Parramatta Eels players Corey Norman and Junior Paulo, along with Penrith Panthers' James Segeyaro, received police warnings for consorting with criminals following this encounter.
[32] National Rugby League player Jason Saab, a winger for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, attended the funeral of Alameddine family gangster Murat Gulasi in 2022.
The final death the New South Wales Police Force believe to be linked to this feud was that of Kemel 'Blackie' Barakat, a Hells Angels associate who worked as an enforcer for the Ahmad Family, on 10 March 2017.
Hamad Assad, a self-branded 'executioner'[4] for the Elmirs, was suspected of being behind the 2013 shooting of Brothers for Life founder Bassam Hamzy's aunt Maha Hamze,[4] allegedly in conjunction with infamous Sydney criminal Reynold Glover.
[20] On 28 March 2022, The Daily Telegraph published an article stating that Masood Zakaria's escape from Sydney to Turkey, via Perth and Malaysia, was facilitated by Fawaz Elmir, who was based in Lebanon at the time, at a cost of between $500,000 and $750,000.
[1] On 15 February 2021, Maha Hamze's unit block was shot up by Alameddine associates for the second time, with a stray bullet narrowly missing a nurse at nearby Auburn Hospital.
[58] On 17 June 2021, prominent Hamze/Hamzy crime family member Bilal Hamze, who had previously attempted to be a peacekeeper between the crews, was shot to death on Bridge Street in the Sydney central business district after leaving the Kid Kyoto restaurant, which is owned by Sam Prince.
[60] On 14 August 2021, two armed and masked men in a stolen Mercedes were pulled over and arrested in North Sydney, and charged with conspiring to murder alleged Hamzy/Hamze Crime Family boss Ibrahem Hamze.
[64] Alleged Hamzy family boss Ibrahem 'Ibby' Hamze was arrested in Queensland and extradited to New South Wales, and charged with soliciting the attempted murder of Murat Gulasi.
[64] In December 2023, Alameddine family associate Tufi Junior Tauese-Auelua,[69] then 37, was arrested by police and charged with two counts of destroying or damaging property by fire after allegedly firebombing the house of Jordan Shanks twice within a period of two weeks.
[79] In January 2023, Masood Zakaria, the alleged "number two" in the organisation and the "most wanted man in NSW", was arrested in Bodrum, Turkey on charges of conspiring to murder, directing a criminal group and drug supply.
[81] On 19 April 2023, Ezzaddine Omar, a stolen-car rebirther who was arrested in 2021 in connection to the Mejid Hamzy killing, had his murder charge dropped in Burwood Local Court due to a lack of evidence.
An article published by The Daily Telegraph on 2 August 2023, stated that Hamdi and his wife, shortly after expediting their court matters, had left Australia for Lebanon to join their other family members.
On 4 November 2023, Alameddine associate Jacob Najjar, a well-known tiktoker known for his promotional content regarding his acai-cafe chain 'Thirsty Monkey', was kidnapped from his unit in Auburn and kept captive for around 24 hours.
Notably, the raids saw the arrest of prominent Western Sydney drill-rapper Ali 'Ay Huncho' Younes, a cousin of Alameddine Family boss Rafat, who gained notoriety through his music.
[85] Heffer had previously been married to Lone Wolf bikie Yusuf Nazlioglu, who famously beat the rap after being charged with the 2018 murder of Sydney underworld figure Mick Hawi.
This development follows a broader investigation that began in April of the previous year, uncovering a syndicate operating within a Cessnock correctional center and contributing to drug trafficking across Sydney.
On September 25, 2024, two additional men, aged 23 and 31, were arrested at Silverwater Prison and charged with multiple counts of supplying prohibited drugs and participating in criminal group activities.