Melbourne lawyer Zarah Garde-Wilson has secured a major court victory for a Melbourne underworld identity Fadi Haddara.
The glamorous criminal lawyer represented Haddara at a Melbourne court on Thursday and successfully had all of Haddara’s charges struck out.
Ms Garde-Wilson rose to prominence during Melbourne’s bloody gangland war which led to her being a character on the first series of ‘Underbelly’.
Haddara, who was facing serious gun charges, was a no-show at the morning court session, but Ms Garde-Wilson appeared in his absence.
Haddara had been charged with gun possession, handling stolen goods and possessing a firearm as a prohibited person.
Ms Garde-Wilson had a charge of affray withdrawn at a previous hearing.
Police had alleged Haddara was linked to the three handguns and a rifle seized from a property adjacent to the suspected crime lord’s Altona North home in Melbourne’s west.
It was also alleged Haddara was linked to a stolen Luger 9mm Glock handgun.
Fadi Haddara, a Melbourne underworld identity, has secured a major court victory (He is pictured in 2020)
Glamorous criminal lawyer Zarah Garde-Wilson (pictured at Melbourne on Thursday) represented Fadi Haddara at a Melbourne court on Thursday
Police believed they could have linked the deadly weapons to Haddara through DNA but in a shock twist Ms Garde-Wilson got her client off the hook before the case got off the ground.
Police have now been forced to drop the charges and pay $20,000 of his legal fees.
Haddara is one of a long-list of infamous clients Ms Garde-Wilson has represented including murdered mob boss Carl Williams, his wife Roberta Williams and convicted drug kingpin Tony Mokbel.
Haddara is suspected of controlling a major illegal tobacco syndicate, but despite the attention of police hasn’t set foot in prison since he was handed a 23-month jail term in 2015 for trafficking meth.
The tobacco turf war in Melbourne has seen several of Haddara’s businesses suffer firebombing attacks over the past two years.
Underworld sources believe Haddara and his family’s control of Melbourne’s illicit tobacco trade made him a target of rival Kazem ‘Kaz’ Hamad.
It’s understood Haddara, who was on bail for the gun allegations, was tipped off that he was on an execution hit list.
He is more lucky than his brother Nazir Haddara and slain gangster Sam ‘The Punisher’ Abdulrahim, who the was an ally of the Haddara clan.
Just days before Abdulrahim was executed, details emerged in court about how covert cops dealt a devastating blow to the Middle Eastern tobacco syndicate allegedly ruled by Nazir Haddara.
Slain gangster Sam ‘The Punisher’ Abdulrahim (pictured) was an ally of the Haddara clan
Nazir Haddara has been charged with selling illegal tobacco
The investigation, codenamed ‘Operation Galactus’, had been tasked with investigating and disrupting the illegal cigarette, tobacco and vape sale and distribution network allegedly controlled by Nazir.
The investigation team arrested Nazir, 25, and other key players in the alleged syndicate including his cousin Hassan Jassem, 21, in October last year.
A court heard the Haddara syndicate bust-up had allegedly dealt a $30-million plus blow to the suspected criminal gang.
Underworld sources believe Abdulrahim had sided with the Haddara syndicate in an attempt to muscle in on the tobacco rackets against rival crime kingpin Hamad.
They believe that was a factor in Abdulrahim’s execution outside the Quest Apartments in Preston on January 28, and it is understood the endless tobacco shop arson and violent extortion in Melbourne are a result of the bloody rivalry.
Middle Eastern organised crime and bikie gangs are fighting for market share and the huge profits from illegal cigarettes as the cost of legal smokes soars past $65 a pack in Australia.
Melbourne’s illegal cigarette rackets ran peacefully without incident until Hamad, a ruthless kingpin who was deported to Iraq after being jailed for trafficking heroin, entered the game.
Underworld sources believe the Haddara clan is a target of rival Kazem ‘Kaz’ Hamad (pictured)
An underworld source confirmed Hamad ‘wanted a piece of the pie’ and muscled into the lucrative and previously low-risk illicit tobacco industry which had been controlled by the Haddara clan.
The court heard that 24 people linked to the Nazir Haddara syndicate have been arrested and 23 businesses scattered throughout Melbourne and Victoria were raided.
Fadi Haddara has not been charged in relation to any illicit tobacco operations.
The prosecution are yet to finalise a dollar amount on the loss of revenue Nazir Haddara’s syndicate allegedly caused but the court heard it was expected to be ‘well into the millions’.
Investigators seized almost a tonne of loose tobacco, 1.6 million cigarettes and 17,000 vapes but the court was told cops have warned crooks to expect more arrests, charges and seizures.
Police also seized $30,000 cash, a Lamborghini and various mobile phones from Nazir Haddara’s home in Melbourne’s west.
Nazir Haddara, his cousin Hassan Jassem and 22 others allegedly linked to the syndicate will all front court at later dates.
Abdulrahim was buried in a golden coffin after a short service at a mosque in Melbourne’s north on January 30.
