Man allegedly has toe cut off in a Sydney unit as gang war erupts
A dispute over black market tobacco has led to a man having his toe cut off at a Sydney warehouse, police claim.
Eight men reportedly fled the Condell Park business Saturday evening after a confrontation involving two groups. Police later stopped and arrested two men, Ahamad Dudu, 26, and Mohamad Kaddour, 24.
The group allegedly broke into the storage unit in an attempt to steal a stash of tobacco, but a confrontation broke out when the storage unit’s owner arrived, reports The Daily Telegraph.
Tobacco has become a hot commodity among organized crime syndicates thanks to skyrocketing taxes on the product and the government’s recent ban on vapes.
Turf wars in Melbourne have resulted in numerous firebombings of tobacco shops, with the incident showing that the violence appears to have spread to Sydney.
Dudu applied for bail at Bankstown Local Court on Monday, who was told the unit’s alarm caused three men associated with the unit to show up during the burglary, who were then attacked by the group of eight intruders .
The three men were said to have been threatened with weapons, tied up, beaten and one of the men had his toe ‘partially chopped off’ during the attack which lasted up to half an hour.
Police arrived during the alleged attack and caused the group to flee with the two arrested men who were reportedly found wearing gloves and face coverings.
A group of eight men allegedly broke into a warehouse in Condell Park (pictured) to steal tobacco, but a confrontation broke out when the owners showed up
Police opposed Dudu’s bail, saying his release could affect their efforts to find the remaining six members of the group.
His lawyer argued that it would be difficult to prove that his client, a father of a young child, was involved in a criminal enterprise along with the other intruders.
But Magistrate Glenn Walsh said his family commitments did not prevent him from ‘going out at 9.30am on a Saturday evening’ and that the alleged incident was a ‘known conflict’.
Dudu and Kaddour were both charged with aggravated burglary and detention in company.
Dudu was denied bail and will appear in court on March 5.
Kaddour has not applied for bail and will appear in court on January 13.