Bikie and Organised Crime Updates for the Week

#gridsparta #bikies Weekly Australian Crime Update: Shootings, Major Drug Busts & Underworld Tensions Another week of serious incidents across Australia. In Sydney’s southwest, police are investigating a drive-by shooting at a home on Curtis Rd, Chester Hill, just before 2am Thursday. Multiple shots were fired into the property where a 49-year-old woman and two men (aged 25 and 58) were inside unharmed. A white SUV was seen fleeing the scene. In Gledswood Hills/Oran Park, business owner Carlos Mekhail (owner of Piada, Banksia Dessert Cafe and Frosty Flamingo) was charged alongside Comanchero associate Omar Terkmani, 42, and Carlee Christensen, 22, from Campbelltown, over an alleged $1.6 million cocaine importation syndicate involving 10kg of the drug. All three face serious supply and importation charges. Mekhail and Terkmani were refused bail; Christensen was granted conditional bail. A message allegedly from the group "The Commission" circulated via Signal warning of cocaine supply shortages following the record 2.7-tonne AFP seizure. It threatened undercutting distributors and overseas operators ("Euro and Moroccans"). This came amid a suspected linked firebombing of a tobacco shop in Mentone, Melbourne. In Darwin, former Mongols NT chapter president Martin Burnett, 66, was sentenced to 13 years (eligible for parole 2029) for running a major methamphetamine trafficking operation and extortion. Co-accused Filippos "Fatboy" Magoulias, 57, received 8 years. Operation TEMPEST (Victoria & Tasmania) seized ~2 million illegal cigarettes, 1.97+ tonnes of loose tobacco, 7,000+ vapes, and $71k cash, disrupting the illicit tobacco trade linked to organised crime. In Perth, multiple illegal gambling houses were raided (Wangara, Mount Melville, Cloverdale) with cash, chips and equipment seized. A new anonymous tip-off system was launched. In Sydney, fraud charges against accountant George Jack Michael (allegedly linked to the Alameddine crime network) were withdrawn. Operation Yankee Forge in Cairns/Far North Queensland continues with more teen arrests for stolen vehicles, bringing totals to 552 people charged with 1,367 offences since February. In Goulburn, NSW, AFP and police uncovered 120kg of cocaine hidden in vehicle transmissions from the US, plus a large clandestine drug lab producing meth and cocaine. Multiple men (aged 35, 41, 45, 49 and others) charged with commercial drug trafficking and manufacture. On the Gold Coast, alleged bikie Garry James Brush, 38, was granted bail on charges of directing a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking network across Far North Queensland while overseas. Concerns raised over delays in pursuing fugitives like alleged Coconut Cartel figure Anthony Pele (Vietnam) and Alameddine network figures Rafat Alameddine and John-Ray Bayssari (Lebanon) due to death penalty issues in those countries. In Yagoona, Sydney, two men (22 and 25) charged over allegedly stealing more than $600,000 from an 88-year-old man through financial exploitation. The Age investigation links accused organised crime figure Kazem "Kaz" Hamad to the firebombing of Ripponlea Synagogue and broader international criminal activities. In Weipa, Queensland, a 34-year-old Taiwanese national was charged with aggravated people smuggling. Stay safe out there — another busy week in Australia’s underworld. Follow Grid Sparta on Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/GridSparta Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GridSparta Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/GridSparta Reditt: https://www.reddit.com/r/Gridsparta