Dlasthr
 Gang Members Tattoo | |
| Founded | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Sydney Australia |
| Years active | 2004 – Present[1] |
| Territory | Sydney Australia |
| Ethnicity | Assyrians |
| Criminal activities | Battery, Extortion, Arms trafficking, Drug trafficking, Robbery, Murder |
| Rivals | Bronx boys, True kings, other Middle eastern gangs |
Dlasthr (The Last Hour) is a Assyrian Australian criminal organization that has been active in the south western suburbs of Sydney, Australia since 2004.[2] The crime gang was formed by Raymon Youmaran who is now serving a 17-year sentence for the murder of Dimitri Debaz in 2002.[3]
In 2014, police declared it had dissolved the gang after the high profile arrests of their founding members, but it is believed the associates still at large are now feuding for top dog position. Gun violence is thought to be part of the gang's turf war over drug supply with its rival gang, The True Kings. The conflict between the two has led to a string of drive by shootings and firebombing in the south west areas. A large number of The gang belong to the Chaldean Catholic Church.
Early years, 2002–2004
In December 2002 Dimitri Debaz was shot and killed at a strip club in the suburb of Sefton. Raymon Youmaran became the primary suspect for police and disappeared soon after as well as another suspect Raphael Joseph who went by the nickname of "Hasoni". The NSW Police submission described how Joseph Youmaran and three other men arrived at the Sefton Hotel where Debaz was celebrating his brother Aleck's birthday with about 15 to 20 friends.[4]
Within a matter of seconds after entering the hotel a fight between Joseph his co-offenders Dimitri and Aleck Debaz had erupted.
Police alleged that the pub's CCTV footage showed Joseph and three accomplices running to their car with Joseph and Youmaran each grabbing a 9mm handgun before fatally shooting Debaz who was standing near the hotel's door. Three more shots were fired execution style into the victim's back before the gunmen fled.
Sandro Mirad, the driver of Youmaran and Josephs get away car was charged and pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to Debaz's murder. Mirad received a two and a half year sentence with one and a half year non custodial sentence.[5]
As the years followed Raymon youmaran was still in hiding and was involved in the drug business in a big way it was then he formed his gang,Dlasthr became known in sydney and embarked on a reign of terror being involved in a number of murders and public shootings as they ruthlessly established themselves as a major drug dealing and distribution syndicate in Sydney.
2005
Rocks double murder
On 16 April 2005, at approximately 1:10am Naser Ghaderi and Keyvan Ghajaloo were killed in a drive-by shooting on Hickson Road, The Rocks, Sydney. Reports state that as Ghaderi and Ghajaloo were standing by a car,a BMW and a Volkswagen stopped next to them. The driver of the BMW was reported to have said, "Are you the Persians from the party?" Following this conversation a hail of bullets from two guns were fired killing Ghaderi and Ghajaloo. Reports also state this was payback from an altercation Ghaderi had two weeks prior at a Persian event.[6]
During the coroner’s inquest into the murders, Ahmed Alfadly an Arab member of Dlasthr, was named as the opponent Ghaderi had during the altercation at the Persian event 2 weeks prior. Raymon Youmaran and Danny Hirmiz were also identified as possible participants in the killings. Alfadly left Australia for Kuwait five days after the shootings and has never returned. No one has been charged for the shootings.[7]
Babylon Cafe manslaughter
In November 2005 the Babylon Cafe in Fairfield, New South Wales was sprayed with bullets, killing bystander Raymond Khananyah and wounding three others. Three gunmen in balaclavas, armed with semi-automatic pistols got out of a black car and fired up to 17 shots into the cafe. It was believed the incident was a case of mistaken identity. The car in the shooting was found later and arrests were made but Youmaran still remained at large. In 2011 a coroner's inquest into the Babylon Cafe shooting revealed in the days before the murder there was a previous shooting and a fight where a firearm was produced. Counsel Assisting the Coroner Peter McGrath said police believed with shooting was the work of members of local drug gang Dlasthr. McGrath named five men as persons of interest in Khananyah's death including Ramon Youmaran, Steven David, Danny Hurmz, George Hanna, Samer Marcus and Michael Odisho.[8]
2006
Youmaran narrowly escapes police
On 14 February 2006, Youmaran was spotted by police at a house in Woodcroft, Sydney which police had staked out. Youmaran got into the front passenger seat of a green Mercedes at about 6:15pm. Police tailed the Mercedes at speeds of up to 200 km/h across the M2 and M7 motorways, but the pursuit was called off due to safety concerns.[9]
The following day, a 24-year-old man believed to be involved in the pursuit was arrested and taken to Green Valley Police Station for questioning. Shortly after detectives seized the Mercedes involved in the pursuit from a home in Cecil Hills. They performed forensic tests on the vehicle.[9]
Murder of Audisho
On 9 April 2006, 21-year old Ashoor Audisho was shot and killed in Hamilton Road, Fairfield West. The murder was linked to Youmaran and Dlasthr. Later that year, three men were arrested and were refused bail.[10][11]
Linard Shamouil, a founding member of Dlasthr, later pleaded guilty to the murder of Audisho. He was sentenced to fourteen years jail. At the time Linard was on bail for attempted murder, which he later was found guilty of and was sentenced to a pre-parole period of nine years. He was also sentenced to a five year, non-parole period for dealing in methamphetamine.[12]
Arrest of Raymon Youmaran
In June 2006 Ramon Youmaran was arrested at Mount Pritchard, following a series of police raids on homes in Sydney's western suburbs. He had been in hiding for four years. Police seized 3000 illegal methamphetamine tablets, with a street value of $1.2 million. Seven other high ranking gang members including Linard Shamouil were also arrested.[13]
Raphael Joseph arrested in US
Raphael Joseph (also known as Hassoni) was arrested in San Diego in October 2006.[14] Joseph asked American authorities to deport him back to his country of birth, Iraq. Joseph was extradited from the US in February 2008 after fighting to stay there for more than a year. In March 2008 he faced court in Sydney and was charged with the murder of Dimitri Debaz.[15] However the charges were later dropped after Joseph had been imprisoned for nearly 18 months.[16]
In March 2014 Joseph disappeared after a meeting in Auburn, New South Wales, and has been presumed by police to have been abducted and murdered.[16]
2013–present
Raids against the gang
On 24 September 2013, more than 300 armed Sydney Police undertook 22 raids that "severely disrupted" the gang. Fifteen suspects were arrested, with four jet skis, a lotus sports car, replica guns and a boat were confiscated by NSW police for the investigation. A high ranking member and gang coordinator was arrested at the Rossmore property and charged. The criminals faced 29 charges relating to drug provision and possession and being part of a gang. 8 kg of cannabis was found in one of the raids, which were close to $25,000 in cash.[17]
In 2014 police arrested three remaining gang members and said that it had dismantled the gang's operations and described the gang as finished. Police had seized $20,000 worth of cannabis from the properties raided.[18]
Failed attempts
On 11 May 2016, police arrested and charged three gang members with shoot with intent to murder, over an incident occurring in Edensor Park, the last hour trio shot at a car driven by the true kings associates, while the passenger managed to escape, one true kings member was trapped inside the car and approached by a last hour member who allegedly attempted to shoot at him but the weapon did not fire. Samer Marcus, Danny Hanna and George Hanna, were arrested and appeared before Fairfield Local Court charged with shooting with intent to murder.
On August 2016, one of the associates of the gang were charged over attempted murder of a 14 year old at Fairfield railway station. The boy, who survived the attack, was found bleeding with multiple stab wounds.[19]
Response
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Frank Mennilli confessed that getting information from relatives and associates of the gang affiliates is the most vital aspect, stating, "If ever there is to be a message, it is to the family and friends of the people involved in crime. If you want to help ... to do the right thing then – it's about telling the police". The hesitance to come forward has thwarted recent police efforts to put a stop to the rising gang-related crime in Fairfield in 2016. He described the gang as "a criminal group that have made thousands upon thousands of dollars through their criminal activities" and "have been involved in public place shootings in murders and have been a criminal enterprise within the south west of Sydney."
He then concluded, "The New South Wales police force will not rest until we put each and every one of these criminals behind bars and we smashed this particular operation...It's one that we will be continuing to pay particular attention to and certainly, from my perspective, NSW police will do all we can to break up this and other similar groups." In 2013, after the raids, Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said, "The New South Wales police force will not rest until we put each and every one of these criminals behind bars and we smashed this particular operation".
Furthermore, the premature release of some members jailed in 2014 has contributed to the recent rise in violence. "Unfortunately for some of these people jail is the only place for them because they are career criminals that will continue to commit offences and we have to continue to target them," Mr Mennilli said. On the 2013 raid, Menilli states, "So today's result should not be measured purely on the number of arrests and the number of search warrants of the we have dismantled and severely disrupted a very large criminal group that was operating in the south west of Sydney."
Assyrian Resource Centre manager Carmen Lazar believes an Assyrian youth worker is required in the community to help usher young people after escaping trauma in their native countries. She stated, "We are a very close-knit community, we know about each other and respect each other hence why we need guidance...These kids need guidance. They are in a desperate situation. They come from a war-torn country..."[20]
References
- ↑ "Police believe they have crushed one of Sydney's worst gangs, Dlasthr (The Last Hour)". dailytelegraph.com.au.
- ↑ "Daily Telegraph". news.com.au.
- ↑ http://www.syndicates.com.au/syndicates-articles/2006/6/3/police-untangle-gang-warfares-murderous-threads/
- ↑ "Daily Telegraph". news.com.au.
- ↑ "Man jailed for being accessory to murder". ABC News. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ↑ "Scuffle at party may have sparked Rocks shooting". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ↑ "Killed after brawl with a gangster". NewsComAu. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ↑ "into theInquest into shooting of Ramon Khananyah at a cafe in Fairfield finds that he was an innocent bystander". dailytelegraph.com.au.
- 1 2 "Police untangle gang warfare's murderous threads". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ↑ Archived 22 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Welch, Dylan (17 July 2006). "Third man held over DJ killing". The Sydney Morning Herald. Faifax Digital. AAP. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ↑ Morton, James; Lobez, Susanna (1 July 2011). "Gangland Sydney". Melbourne Univ. Publishing – via Google Books.
- ↑
- ↑ "Daily Telegraph". news.com.au.
- ↑ "Aussie fugitive wanted to go to Iraq". The Age. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- 1 2 "Gang busters! Gun seizure in 2012 led to downfall of Assyrian criminal organisation DLASTHR (The Last Hour)". dailytelegraph.com.au.
- ↑ "Police in Sydney arrest 15 during raids targeting Assyrian crime gang in Rossmore and Liverpool". ABC News. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ↑ Emma Partridge (May 9, 2014). "Police say 'The Last Hour' finished as final three members arrested". Sydney Morning Herald.
A [sic] Edensor Park man, 26; a Middleton Grange man, 21; and a Prairiewood man, 23, remain in custody after police seized $20,000 worth of cannabis.
- ↑ Benny-Morrison, Ava (21 September 2016). "DLASTHR Assyrian gang associates charged over attempted murder of Sydney 14-year-old". smh.com.au.
- ↑ "Inside Australia's most dangerous suburb". news.com.au.