Sydney: Drug Kingpin Fatally Shot in Car Park

Facts

• On Tuesday, a man was fatally shot in broad daylight in a gang-related attack in Sydney's busy Bondi Junction shopping district.¹
• According to the New South Wales police, Alen Moradian was a "major player" in Australia's cocaine trade and had a "big target" on his back.²
• The 48-year-old allegedly had links to Comanchero, one of the nation's largest outlawed motorcycle gangs — members of which are domestically known as "bikies" — and was also a significant player in the organized crime network.³
• He was apparently shot dead at close range in a car park on Tuesday morning. A handgun and mobile phone have been recovered from the crime scene in addition to a burnt-out Porsche.⁴
• Two hitmen are believed to be involved in the shooting, one of whom set a getaway car on fire and remains at large.⁵
• Moradian, who has been referred to as Australia's Tony Soprano by his estranged wife Natasha, was jailed for at least six years in 2011 for his role in a cocaine trade scheme.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Guardian, ³BBC News, ⁴9 (a), ⁵Daily Mail, and ⁶9 (b).

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Daily Mail. The gang violence in Sydney has led its streets to resemble those of crime-ridden Brazil. Brutal thugs control localities, where they inhumanely beat and kill their rivals. The city is also home to one of the world's largest drug trades, adding to the rapidly rising violence. Sydney may now be past the point of no return.
• Narrative B, as provided by Guardian. New South Wales police are cracking down on gang violence and will do everything possible to make Sydney's streets safe. While the current scale of organized crime is troubling, its victims are usually those involved in gangs. Nonetheless, the police will use every tool to stop these heinous acts and end gang violence.