A man police say sits at the very heart of one of Sydney’s most feared crime families has now been accused of ordering multiple murders. But is this a turning point in the city’s underworld war—or just the latest chapter in a cycle of violence that refuses to end?
Alleged crime boss Ali Elmoubayed, 32, has been charged by New South Wales Police with soliciting and conspiring to murder two underworld rivals. Investigators believe he is the key “onshore” leader of the powerful but now fracturing Alameddine crime family, which they say is locked in a violent internal conflict.
Police describe this as a major breakthrough in their efforts to contain a brutal gangland feud that has spilled into public streets, family homes, and local businesses. And this is where things get especially confronting: some of the alleged plots involve recruiting young people—children—to take part in serious criminal activity.
The latest arrests and charges
On Tuesday, during large-scale, coordinated raids across Sydney, detectives targeted alleged members and associates of the Alameddine network. As part of that operation, four people in total were charged, including Mr Elmoubayed.
He was arrested in Croydon Park and is set to appear before Burwood Local Court on Wednesday. The list of charges he faces is extensive and serious. Police allege he:
- Conspired to murder an underworld rival.
- Solicited another person to carry out a murder.
- Recruited a child to engage in criminal activity.
- Committed multiple drug-related and other offences linked to organised crime.
But here’s where it gets controversial: some will argue that these arrests show the system is finally catching up with major underworld players, while others might say law enforcement is still only scratching the surface of a much deeper and more resilient criminal network.
The alleged target: a former ally turned enemy
Police claim that one of the main alleged targets of these plots is Samimjan Azari, a man they say left the Alameddine group to join a rival crime organisation. That defection, in underworld terms, is considered an act of betrayal—and, according to investigators, has made him a marked man.
Mr Azari has reportedly survived three separate attempts on his life in 2025 alone. These attempts have not just endangered him, but also put innocent bystanders at risk:
- In May, he was the apparent target of a shooting in Granville. He survived, but another man, Dawood Zakaria, was killed in the attack.
- In June, security footage and witness accounts describe a terrifying scene inside an Auburn kebab shop, where two gunmen allegedly burst in and opened fire on Mr Azari, his associates, and even a worker. Mr Azari reportedly had to run for his life to escape.
These incidents highlight how disputes between organised crime figures are not confined to hidden backrooms—they are spilling into everyday public spaces where ordinary people live, eat, and work.
A deadly internal feud spilling onto the streets
Police say the Alameddine crime family has been locked in a “tit-for-tat” series of shootings throughout the year, triggered by an internal feud that has turned deadly. Once-loyal members have allegedly split from the group and joined rival factions, escalating tensions.
According to investigators, the defection of several trusted insiders has led to:
- Drive-by shootings and targeted attacks on homes.
- Firebombings across various Sydney suburbs.
- Retaliatory violence as different sides allegedly strike back and forth.
In simple terms, what began as an internal dispute within one crime group has now morphed into an ongoing gangland war, with multiple factions allegedly involved and the wider community caught in the crossfire.
Who are the Alameddines in the eyes of police?
For years, law enforcement has regarded the Alameddine network as a major player in Sydney’s illegal drug trade. Police allege the group:
- Operates a sophisticated organised crime network.
- Has strong roots in Sydney’s western suburbs.
- Is involved in drug supply and related violent crime, along with other serious offences.
Their alleged overall leader, Rafat Alameddine, is believed by police to have fled to Lebanon in 2023. He is currently wanted on a warrant for allegedly conspiring to murder two underworld figures.
This raises a difficult question: if the man at the top is overseas and out of reach, can local police efforts alone dismantle such a network? Or does it simply shift power to so‑called “onshore” leaders like Elmoubayed, creating new figures to fill the vacuum?
A narrow escape: when the alleged boss became a target
In an ironic twist, the man now accused of organising hits has himself narrowly escaped being killed.
In June, police say gunmen targeted Mr Elmoubayed’s home, arriving just minutes after he had left to attend court in Parramatta. According to investigators, he avoided being shot by roughly four minutes.
This near-miss illustrates an important point: in this world, no one is truly safe—not even those allegedly sitting at the top of the organisation. Underworld violence often cuts both ways, with today’s suspected orchestrator potentially becoming tomorrow’s target.
Another alleged murder plot at Kogarah Bay
The charges against Mr Elmoubayed do not stop with the alleged plots involving Mr Azari. Police have also charged him over an alleged conspiracy to murder another underworld rival in Kogarah Bay in August.
While many details have not been fully disclosed publicly, police claim this was yet another planned hit tied to the same broader conflict. For people trying to understand the situation, this suggests an alleged pattern rather than a one-off incident: a series of carefully coordinated attempts to eliminate perceived enemies.
Other arrests and the wider police crackdown
As part of the wider raids targeting alleged Alameddine associates, police say a woman and two men were also arrested and charged. They are likewise expected to face court on Wednesday.
These arrests form part of a much larger, long-running strategy. Police argue that dismantling an organised crime group is not about one big arrest, but about systematically disrupting its leadership, logistics, money flows, and foot soldiers over time.
Taskforce Falcon and the evolving gang landscape
The high-profile arrest of Mr Elmoubayed is being described as the most significant result so far for Taskforce Falcon, an NSW Police unit formed in May 2025. The taskforce was created specifically to curb the escalating violence linked to the Alameddine family’s internal split.
Taskforce Falcon has been focusing on three main groups:
- The splintering Alameddine clan itself.
- The KVT, a group that police say has absorbed some of the Alameddine defectors.
- A separate network of alleged contract killers police refer to as “the Afghan crew”, believed to be guns-for-hire.
This paints a picture of a shifting underworld map, where alliances change, new groups rise, and violence follows those shifts. But here’s the part most people miss: when law enforcement successfully pressures one group, it can sometimes scatter experienced criminals into new or existing networks, unintentionally fuelling more fragmentation and unpredictability.
The bigger questions
While the charges against Ali Elmoubayed are serious and may represent a major win for police, they also raise deeper, more uncomfortable questions:
- Does taking down an alleged “onshore leader” genuinely reduce long-term violence, or does it just create space for the next contender to step up?
- Are current strategies focused too heavily on arrests and not enough on prevention, youth intervention, and community protection, especially when children are allegedly being recruited into crime?
- With a suspected kingpin overseas and multiple factions now active, is Sydney facing the tail end of this gangland war—or the start of an even more unstable phase?
Some will say the strong police response is absolutely necessary and long overdue. Others might argue it treats only the symptoms of a deeper social and economic problem that keeps feeding new recruits into organised crime.
What do you think? Do these arrests mark real progress in dismantling Sydney’s organised crime networks, or are they just the latest headline in a cycle that keeps repeating? Do you agree with the way Taskforce Falcon is targeting these groups, or do you think there’s a better, less violent path to breaking this underworld grip on parts of the city? Share whether you agree, disagree, or see it differently—I’m curious where you stand on this."}
