Australasian biker news

Waring bikies lose their guns

By ANDREW CARSWELL and KARA LAWRENCE

May 04, 2006

POLICE believe they may have averted a deadly climax to Sydney's bikie gang turf war by making five arrests and discovering a cache of illegal firearms.

Despite the efforts of gangs squad detectives, a court yesterday granted bail to a Hell's Angels bikie who was alleged to have shot at a rival bikie in a Guildford street on Tuesday.

Four men faced court with firearm charges yesterday, all believed to be linked to a bikie war between the Hells Angels and the Nomads, as the former beef up their presence in Sydney.

After Tuesday's drive-by shooting, police raided properties in Auburn and Merrylands and a parked car in Castle Hill, arresting members of both gangs.

Nomads Parramatta chapter member Norman Yammine, 22, yesterday appeared in Burwood Local Court charged with 39 weapons offences.

Police allegedly seized a cache of 12 illegally-held guns and a bullet-proof vest from his home in Chisholm Rd, Auburn.

Two assault rifles – one a Chinese-made SKS with a shortened stock, were allegedly found with 10 pistols, including two Berettas, a 9mm Luger, two Glocks, a Browning 9mm, two Smith & Wesson handguns, a Colt, and another handgun.

Another two men appeared in Parramatta Local Court yesterday, charged with offences relating to the Guildford shooting.

Police alleged Hells Angels member John Joseph Zeaiter, 38, of Merrylands, shot at a car that Nomads bikie Paul Younan was driving near Guildford railway station about 2.50pm.

The silver 4WD Zeaiter was travelling in was alleged to have then rammed Younan's vehicle before fleeing.

The court was told the incident was the latest in a number of shootings involving the "conflicting gangs".

Zeaiter was arrested in a parked silver 4WD at the Hills Lodge in Castle Hill along Amin Fakhri, 22 of Merrylands, Joe Bayem, 23 of Ermington, and Mark Saab, 32 of Merrylands.

Despite being charged with discharging a firearm with intent, Zeaiter was granted bail with a surety of $100,000.

Fakhri was refused bail on the charge of possessing a firearm.

Facing the same charge, Bayem was granted bail.

Yammine did not apply for bail yesterday and was remanded in custody until May 8, when he planned to make a bail application.

Fakhri and Zeaiter will face Parramatta Local Court on July 13.

http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,19015455-5001022,00.html

Bikies face court after raid on alleged firearm stash
A pistol seized in a raid.

By Les Kennedy
May 4, 2006

FOUR men who appeared in Sydney courts yesterday were bonded by membership of the Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle gang, police alleged in evidence.

A fifth man arrested in a swoop on Tuesday night by the gang squad, who also faced court yesterday, was a member of the Nomads bikie gang and a recent wounding victim of what police alleged in facts to Parramatta Local Court yesterday to be "escalating tension between the Hells Angels and Nomads".

The losers so far have been the Nomads, according to police who formed Strike Force Pittstone to investigate shootings in or outside strip clubs in the city and at Kings Cross since February.

But it took a shooting attack at Guildford railway station at 2.40pm on Tuesday on a car driven by an alleged Nomads member, Paul Younan, carrying his girlfriend and a man called John, to spring Task Force Pittstone into action that night.

Seized in raids on homes in Auburn and Merrylands and at a Castle Hill hotel were 14 pistols, an SKS semi-automatic rifle and a bullet-resistant vest.

An alleged Hells Angel, John Joseph Zeaiter, 38, faced Parramatta Local Court yesterday charged with having discharged a loaded firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to Younan near Guildford station on Tuesday.

Zeaiter, who denied the allegation and said he was a pizza chef, wore a Hells Angel shirt when he was arrested in the car park of the Hills Lodge at Castle Hill at 10.20pm on Tuesday with two other alleged Hells Angels, Amin Fakhri, 22, a plumber, of St Marys, and Joe Bayeh, 23, of Ermington, who were charged with possession of firearms. Mark Anthony Saab, 32, a Hells Angel, of Merrylands, was arrested at home and charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm. Police also raided the Auburn home of Normie Yammine, 21, who faced Burwood Local Court charged with 52 offences, including 48 relating to firearms.

Zeaiter was granted $10,000 bail with a $100,000 surety. Bayeh was released on conditional bail.

Fakhri was refused bail and ordered to face the same court on July 13 with Zeaiter.

At Fairfield Local Court, Saab was granted $10,000 bail; and at Burwood, Yammine did not seek bail and was remanded in custody to reappear in that court on May 8.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/bikies-face-court-after-raid-on-alleged-firearm-stash/2006/05/03/1146335804546.html

Five arrested, firearms seized - Gangs Squad