Ay Huncho’s bodyguard Emilio Chalhoub allegedly snatched from home
Updated ,first published
The bodyguard of Sydney rapper Ay Huncho has been kidnapped and beaten by a group of masked men in the latest targeted attack on the Alameddine crime family.
The alleged abduction of Emilio Chalhoub from his family’s Guildford home on Monday night comes amid sustained attacks on the Alameddine network by underworld rivals who claim control of the city’s illicit drugs trade.
Chalhoub was rescued from a home in Casula around 12.30pm on Tuesday, an hour after being put into a car. Police found him with facial injuries shortly before arresting five men who allegedly escaped as officers surrounded the Casula property. The group was taken to Liverpool police station.
Last year, at the height of infighting within the splinter Alameddine network, Chalhoub was the intended target of an attack on his family’s home in which his father was allegedly stabbed by two intruders, a 15-year-old boy and a 22-year-old man.
Anti-gang detectives allege Ay Huncho, whose legal name is Ali Younes, is a senior member of the Alameddine organized crime ring. He is the cousin of Rafat Alameddine, the head of the Alameddine family of Lebanese origin.
Police believe Younes was the target of a foiled attack in western Sydney earlier this month. Three people were arrested and two firearms, including a semi-automatic rifle, were seized after a trio of police officers pursued an allegedly stolen Audi SUV. Detectives repeatedly warned Younes about threats to his safety.
Police are examining a burned car found in Villawood that is believed to have been used in Chalhoub’s kidnapping. Taskforce Falcon, a force of almost 150 police officers set up last year amid a spiral of violence linked to the dismantling of the Alameddine network, took responsibility for the kidnapping investigation.
Footage taken at night shows heavily armed members of the NSW Police tactical operations unit raiding Casula’s home, where Chalhoub was located.
Members and associates of the Alameddine network have been the target of a sustained campaign over the past 18 months by former allies and emerging groups vying for control of Sydney’s underworld.
Rivals targeting the Alameddine network have banded together to dethrone what remains of the family, forming several groups that regularly rebrand and publicize their attacks. Several senior network members in the Middle East, including Rafat Alameddine, are alleged to have been involved in the large-scale importation of cocaine and methamphetamine into Australia.
Rafat Alameddine’s empty Merrylands home was targeted in a drive-by on Saturday morning. Businesses linked to his brother-in-law Asaad Alahmad were targeted. Alahmad was imprisoned for his involvement in the drug trafficking arm of the Alameddine network called “Ready 4 War”.
Groups calling themselves “Lone Wolves” and “OC Prison Gang” claimed responsibility for the attacks. The groups are believed to be aligned with the self-proclaimed Coconut Cartel, which declared war on the Alameddine family earlier this year. The Coconut Cartel consists of several former Alameddine associates.
“There is always the possibility of them changing names and teams,” Detective Inspector Jason Box, commander of Taskforce Falcon, said on Saturday.
Lone Wolves vowed more “coordinated attacks” in footage captured last week during a firebombing of a tugboat business in Wetherill Park linked to the Alameddine family.
“With careful and calculated collaborations, the end of the road is here for your organization [sic] Amongst the enemies you have created over the years,” the group wrote in a video caption.
Box said police would not tolerate violence linked to the Alameddine network.
“We can’t have these people walking around, shooting into public buildings, putting the community at risk,” he said.
Officers working with Taskforce Falcon have arrested more than 400 people and laid more than 4,000 charges since last May.
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Daniel Lo Surdo is a breaking news reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He previously ran The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age’s national news live blog.Connect via email.
