Mahmoud al-Zein (Arabic: محمود الزين) nicknamed "The godfather of Berlin" is regarded as one of the most powerful crime lords in Germany.
[4][5] He is believed to hold Syrian, Lebanese or Turkish citizenship, but the situation is unclear as he could possibly be stateless, continuing to hamper ongoing attempts to deport him.
[6] In 2006, Berlin daily newspaper Tagesspiegel wrote that during a trial "El Presidente" had claimed his real name was Mahaiddine Al-Zein, born in Beirut in 1966, of Kurdish-Lebanese descent.
Meanwhile the state prosecutor maintained Mahmoud Al-Zein was born under the name Mahmut Uca in Turkey in 1972.
Officially, Mahmoud Al-Zein makes a living out of drawing German unemployment benefits (Arbeitslosengeld).