A year before he was killed outside his home in Sydney, a major figure in the underworld was found to have plotted against his rivals, according to text messages.
Mejid Hamzy, the oldest brother in the infamous Hamzy crime family, was shot multiple times in front of his house in Condell Park on October 19, 2020.
Two gunmen ambushed Hamzy, 44, and were captured on surveillance cameras as he tried to escape through a nearby street in Sydney’s southwest.
One suspect linked to the murder was acquitted during the trial, and some messages uncovered from Hamzy’s encrypted AN0M mobile phone were presented as evidence.
It came to light that he had offered $100,000 to someone to “bring down” a significant organized crime figure, whom police suspected was responsible for Hamzy’s death—a claim raised during court proceedings.
“Fatwas were passed on to him by all the sheikhs,” Hamzy mentioned in a message from September 2019.
He also expressed a desire to see offshore gangster Bilal Haochar “severely hurt,” as revealed in court.
A user named JID discussed how Haochar, identified as one of New South Wales’s most wanted, was constantly on the move, with his so-called “detective buddy” trying to track him down.
“My detective buddies said we could bring him in, tear him up a new asshole…” JID said in an audio message from August 2019, emphasizing the brutality of their intentions.
Hamzy expressed eagerness to know the cost of carrying out these plans, even requesting video proof of the attack.
Weeks later, JID updated Hamzy about tracking Haochar but cautioned that they needed to be “patient” due to the target’s protection.
There was talk of shooting Haochar in the leg, with the intention of carving the name Bassam Hamzy into his chest or forehead.
Hamzy repeatedly asked for confirmation that he would receive a video of the event, emphasizing his desire to see it through.
On September 7, 2019, he stated he had consulted with his associates regarding the crime boss, who he could not specify due to legal reasons, mentioning their readiness to “pay the price for his blows.”
He expressed increasing frustration with Haochar, stating he wanted him “in a wheelchair,” and worried that if the main crime boss was eliminated, Haochar might flee.
Hamzy often pondered if it would be wiser for JID’s team to execute both plans simultaneously, stating, “All I want is a video of Bill getting excited.”
It appears this violent plan never came to fruition, and Hamzy later inquired about updates on the situation.
The AN0M phone was popular among criminals at the time, but they were unaware that the FBI and Australian Federal Police were monitoring their communications.
Authorities believed Hamzy, who operated a chocolate café, was a significant player in a crime family involving his brother Bassam and other relatives.
At the time of his death, he was under investigation for various criminal activities and was suspected of involvement in two murders, including that of hitman Hamad Assaad in 2016.
During the trial of Bryce Mark Williams, acquitted of Hamzy’s murder, it was suggested that Hamzy had been killed because he believed a crime boss had appropriated a large shipment of cocaine.
The Crown alleged that the crime boss had placed a hit on Hamzy before he was killed outside his family residence.
Williams and his childhood friend Christopher O’Brien were tried separately for the murder but were both acquitted.
Jurors heard alternative theories about the murder, indicating that many of Hamzy’s rivals wanted him dead.
Prosecutors pointed out that Williams was recognized by police as “Mr. Blonde” after one of the suspects’ hoods fell off during the escape, exposing his light-colored hair.
Williams has denied involvement and was recently granted bail after spending about four years in custody since his arrest in 2022, with a sentencing scheduled for 2026 over an unrelated drug case.
