James Phelps
The Sunday Telegraph
October 11 2015.
THE BROTHERS 4 Life have emerged as one of the most violent and powerful gangs in the NSW prison system, waging a bloody war in jail for control of a multi-million dollar drug empire.
The crime outfit founded by convicted murderer Bassam Hamzy has turned on itself, with several high-profile members attempting to seize control of the gang from inside our toughest jails.
In a dramatic move to stop a recent spate of jail violence, Corrective Services has split the gang with the power-players removed from Goulburn jail and sent under top security to other NSW prisons.
“The Department has had to move all the bosses to stop them from killing each other,’’ said a Goulburn prison guard.
“The have been split up and sent to Lithgow, Long Bay, Goulburn, Nowra, and the Mid North Coast.’’
With at least 100 members locked up in NSW, Brothers 4 Life are one of the state’s biggest prison gangs.
Outlaw motorcycle gangs control still control the bulk of the prison drug trade with the Hell’s Angels running Long Bay Jail, the Comancheros and Bandidos controlling Lithgow and the Rebels strong in Goulburn, but Brothers 4 Life have a violent presence at every prison in NSW.
“The BFL are fighting with each other,’’ the officer said.
“They are trying to take control of the empire. Some have been moved out of the main jail in Goulburn and sent to the HRMU because of all the trouble. Others have been shipped across the state. All the chapters are fighting and trying to take the whole thing. Farhad Quami is fighting with Hamzy and so is (another notorious criminal).
“Hamzy is now locked away so tightly that he can’t effectively run things. He is still trying to dictate but this Quami is involved in everything”
“Hamzy is now locked away so tightly that he can’t effectively run things. He is still trying to dictate but this Quami is involved in everything.’’Members of defunct bikie gang Notorious have patched over to Brothers 4 Life, boosting the outfit’s prison presence.
“The Notorious guys at Goulburn are getting there tattoos removed and are coming back and joining BFL,’’ said a Goulburn officer.
“There would be at least 100 of them in NSW jails and there would be five bickering chapters. There are 30 in Long Bay alone.’’
Long Bay Jail is regarded as a Hells Angels prison although former Notorious boss Sam Ibrahim is still a powerful jail enforcer.
“Whatever happens on the outside is mirrored in jail”
“The Ibrahims are quite powerful,’’ said a Long Bay guard.
“But Sam is about to get deported and Michael is in Nowra so that will change.’’
Goulburn Jail is considered to be controlled by the Rebels.
“Whatever happens on the outside is mirrored in jail,’’ a Goulburn officer said.
“Wars on the street become wars in jail. Also if you have drug raids on the outside we are also doing them on the inside too because they are all linked. The blokes in jail speak to their counterparts outside and it is all drugs, steroids and guns.
“Even operations on the outside can be run from jail because they smuggle in mobile phones. They is not much we can do about it. We tap phones and pass information onto police.
Prison gangs conduct jail standovers and drug deals.
“They get people to bring drugs in for them,’’ an officer said.
“They then get people to sell it for them. They also do standovers. They steal buy-ups (items inmates have purchased from the prison shop) and put it over people. We try and keep on top of it by moving them around and generally we keep them under control. The drugs they mainly deal in are steroids and buprenorphine.’’
