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Untouchables?

Melbourne's new gangland war appears to be hotting up with gunshots fired into a house in which two members of a notorious crime family were staying. The house was then set alight. The attack came as word spread that a northern suburbs family had moved to fill the void left by the demise of much of Melbourne's 'old school' underworld and after a member of the family, who Derryn Hinch named as Mahmoud Kiah, was shot at his home the previous week.

A man and woman asleep in the upstairs bedroom scrambled to safety out a window and down drainpipes after their two-storey home was blasted with gunfire and firebombed at 3am. The two criminals, who were staying over at the home, were sleeping downstairs and escaped through the back door. Between four and six shots were fired by a skinny gunman into the home in Barry Rd, Coolaroo.

He then threw a petrol bomb, which caused a large fire inside the house.

The attacker, aged about 20, escaped in a white van. On March 29, 2008, a man was shot in Gladstone Park. Two days later, in what is believed to be revenge, a 30-year-old Gladstone Park man, Mahmoud Kheir, was shot in the top of both legs in his driveway and taken to hospital. Neighbours called police after hearing gunfire in Bladen Place at about 5.35pm and seeing two men fleeing into Wolverton Drive on foot. He was treated by ambulance paramedics at the scene for a bullet wound in his thigh and taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he was in a serious but stable condition. Armed crime taskforce detectives were investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting and appealed for witnesses to come forward who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously in the area around the time of the incident. "It's believed a man in his 30s has been shot in the leg and transported to hospital," a Victoria Police spokeswoman said. Kheir is a member of the now infamous crime family commonly referred to as 'The Untouchables' who, according to a caller to the Hinch program, have a 'huge family network of protection' and who, according to Age and 3AW journalist John Silvester, have a seemingly endless supply of weapons.

Silvester told 3AW's Ross and John that the violence associated with this family, who according to Silvester idolise Tony Mokbel, has been going on for a lengthy period with members of the family in and out of jail. But he said that family members regularly receive bail and that when they are back on the street, the violence worsens.

A policeman who called the program said that the family had been involved in violent crime for several years and that numerous peolple had been shot, stabbed and bashed.

On April 16, 2008, Hizir Ferman was arrested when Special Operations Group police intercepted a vehicle in which he was a passenger in Glenroy.

Sen-Det Mark Nichols, of the armed crime taskforce, later alleged Mr Ferman removed something from his waistband and placed it down beside the seat. He said a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun was later found between the passenger seat and the console. The driver was allegedly found with a black bag on his lap containing a .357 magnum Smith & Wesson revolver and a bag with five grams of cannabis.

Ferman was charged with two counts of being a prohibited person in possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of cannabis. Ferman, linked by police to two convicted gangland killers, was later denied bail on the firearms charges.

Melbourne Magistrates' Court heard the driver had been in regular phone contact with gangland killers Carl Williams and Evangelos Goussis before his arrest. Sen-Det Nichols told the court Mr Ferman had been identified as a "person of interest" in a shooting at Gladstone Park a week earlier. Magistrate Maurice Gurvich refused bail. He said the evidence suggested Mr Ferman, of Port Melbourne, was a career criminal who associated with "like-minded" offenders and had failed to appear in court several times. The court heard another man had made a statutory declaration claiming he had left the 9mm handgun in the car, but Sen-Det Nichols said the man had since admitted the declaration was false.

Mark Buttler wrote in the Herald Sun about the fears of tit-for-tat violence after the shootings. Buttler wrote that the family was involved in brutal ofences in the northwestern suburbs for years. 'Detectives believe they are linked to large-scale drug dealing, shootings, torture, witness intimidation, bashings, kidnappings, road-rage attacks, blackmail and knife crimes'. 'They have taunted police with claims that they have better guns. And their victims have been shot and attacked with machetes just for looking the wrong way'. The Herald Sun's Elissa Hunt wrote that police had appealed for help in breaking a code of silence that surrounds an alleged Victorian crime family dubbed "The Untouchables".

Police say victims and witnesses to the family's crimes are terrified and many refuse to assist prosecution. Family members have allegedly shot, beaten and tortured people in the northern suburbs over two years. The father and three sons are suspected of shootings, stabbings, armed robberies, drug trafficking, road rage, abduction, torture, bribery and blackmail. And after they allegedly threatened to machinegun a police station, officers confiscated a machinegun. The four now face dozens of charges, while police have seized numerous weapons, cash and drugs.

Inspector Frank Neagle said: "Witnesses won't come forward or have withdrawn (complaints) being threatened. "They (the family) think they can intimidate everyone, even the police. They taunt the police, saying their guns and ballistic vests are better than those police have." In one incident that has resulted in charges, a family member allegedly attacked a man with a machete at a service station because he had looked at a female passenger. One drive-by shooting in Campbellfield was believed to have been sparked because the victim had "looked the wrong way" at the shooter.

It is understood that when banks foreclosed on two Broadmeadows houses that the family were paying off, the banks hired security guards to protect the properties. Police are investigating the kidnapping and torture of a man who was later "dumped" at a hospital. Insp Neagle said the family was also suspected of widespread fraud, including identity theft and false loan applications. Northern suburbs residents were worried about the family's alleged road rage, he said. "When they are confronted (over poor or dangerous driving) they resort to violence," Insp Neagle said. "We appeal for people to come forward, so we can get these people and put a stop to the violence," Mr Neagle said.

On February 11, 2008, John Silvester wrote about a northern suburbs crime family who were making their presence felt in the underworld after the demise of criinals such as Tony Mokbel, Carl Williams and the Moran family.

'A police taskforce is investigating an emerging organised crime group intent on exploiting the void left by the destruction of the Tony Mokbel drug cartel', wrote Silvester. The taskforce, code-named Lased, has unearthed evidence linking the syndicate to drug trafficking, abductions, shootings, intimidating witnesses, bribery and attempted murder.

Taskforce investigators from the crime department and Broadmeadows say the members of the Lebanese crime cell have studied law enforcement methods, have expertise in money laundering, attempt to bribe officials and regularly try to intimidate police. "They are absolutely out of control," one detective said.

Police set up the taskforce after previous investigations into the group failed when frightened witnesses refused to co-operate. Gang members threatened one local woman and then smashed every window in her house as a warning to remain silent.

The cell — controlled by one crime family — has been linked to attacks in Fawkner, Campbellfield, Thomastown, Broadmeadows, Gladstone Park, Glenroy, Mill Park and Coolaroo in the past two years. In one case a pedestrian is said to have "looked the wrong way" at one of the team's gunmen, who responded by firing shots in his direction. Police have seized at least seven handguns and a quantity of drugs from the group but say the suspects still have access to firearms. They have also removed from a wall bullets they believe were shot next to a bound victim in a torture room.

Detectives have also recovered guns and drugs hidden in the walls of a house used by the syndicate. The Australian Crime Commission and the Purana gangland taskforce have been asked to help establish the scope of the group's criminal activities.

The Tax Office is expected to be asked to investigate the four key family members who control the group and appear to be living beyond their means. Police say the father is the decision-maker, his two eldest sons are the muscle and the youngest is the brains and anointed successor. They are backed by a group of subordinates, many of whom have convictions for drug trafficking and firearms offences. Police have already made several arrests but say the cell is still operating. Investigations are continuing. Late last week more drugs were seized and another suspect charged.

Detective Acting Superintendent Phil Swindells of Region Three (Broadmeadows) said: "We hope that a number of witnesses who have been reluctant to come forward previously will co-operate now that we have made some significant arrests. We will be able to provide support for any witnesses who do come forward." Senior police say several new groups are positioning themselves to take over areas once dominated by gangsters killed or jailed during Melbourne's underworld war. Detective Superintendent Richard Grant (of the crime strategy group) said last year that police would move on groups trying to fill the void. "We are in the target development phase of identifying the suspects that we should concentrate on. We will be moving on the next generation and established networks."

Mr Grant said police needed an accurate criminal intelligence bank to anticipate which criminals were likely to become major gangland influences. On April 16, 2008, the Herald Sun reported that senior police had been accused by one of their own of bungling an investigation into the new bloody gang war. The Herald Sun had learned a senior investigator quit the case, accusing top police of putting petty squabbles before crime-fighting. In an email to senior police -- including Assistant Commissioner Simon Overland -- Det-Sgt Paul Lunt of Broadmeadows withdrew from the investigation and threatened to resign over "the total incompetence of those charged with the responsibility of the management of investigations of major crime in this state". "I can no longer stand by whilst the departmentally sanctioned spin doctors sugar coat what is a very serious gang war in the making and letting a very dangerous family run amok without proper co-ordinated attention," he wrote.

Det-Sgt Lunt wrote that local police had asked for help from the Australian Crime Commission and the Purana Taskforce in the investigation's early stages and had not received a reply. He said the Victoria Police armed crime taskforce had become involved recently. "None of you have obviously learned lessons from what come (sic) out of Purana," he wrote. "The only difference here is that no one has died. And that is only good luck, not good management. "But you're all more worried about your petty squabbles over staff ownership and whether you may get criticised in the media." Senior police last night defended their record, saying Operation Lased had achieved some outstanding results and heavily disrupted criminal activity in the area.

Supt Richard Grant, who was one of the officers who received the email, said there had been three significant arrests in the past week bringing the total arrest tally to about 20 in the past six months. "Victoria Police respects the right of its members to express their opinions and concerns to their managers and members of senior command. However, it is confident that it is effectively managing the ongoing investigation known as Operation Lased. "A number of key arrests and firearms and drug seizures is evidence that this highly targeted approach is having a major impact."

Supt Grant said Victoria Police believed enough resources had been committed to the operation so far but, if necessary, more resources would be provided in the future. Police Association secretary Sen-Sgt Paul Mullett said Det-Sgt Lunt's attack was proof the force's major crime management model had been an "abject failure". Sen-Sgt Mullett said the situation sounded like an episode of Yes Minister. "This is another example of our members crying for help. The member is right. Victoria Police is being more run by spin-doctoring and propaganda these days," he said. Sen-Sgt Mullett said Det-Sgt Lunt was a dedicated policeman who, he hoped, would not be made to pay for his comments.