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Mahmoud “Brownie” Ahmad,Tarek Zahed and Rami Iskander were targeted in gangland shootings in April and May 2022. Ahmad and Iskander were killed,while Zahed was in hospital a week after being shot.Credit:Facebook,supplied

Iskander,23,was the nephew of Mahmoud ‘Brownie’ Ahmad who was also shot dead less than three weeks earlier when he was ambushed outside an associate’s home in Greenacre.

The latest killing came just days after Comancheros boss Tarek Zahed and his brother Omar were sprayed with bullets in a brazen attack at the foyer of an Auburn gym. Tarek remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital,while Omar died at the scene.

Police are investigating how the three shootings are connected,with a tit-for-tat motive among the lines of inquiry. But while announcing the creation of Taskforce Erebus on Monday,Fitzgerald was unequivocal that “in its nutshell,drugs are the common denominator”.

More specifically,the seizure of nearly two tonnes of drugs by NSW Police and partner agencies over the past month has heightened tensions,with “repercussions to the persons who organised those importations”.

“There’s people owed money,so there are conflicts ... people are threatening people within that criminal milieu on a daily basis,” Fitzgerald said.

“We are constantly telling people that they continue to live in this world of organised crime,where they’re dealing with prohibited drugs,making large amounts of money,they will be subject to threats from other people who wish to take their territory and property,” he said. “That is common sense.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett said investigators are “very confident that part of the ructions in the underworld are because of the seizures that we’ve undertaken recently”,which include hauls of amphetamines,heroin and ice.

Combining the three strike forces announced previously for the recent shootings,Taskforce Erebus represents a much broader,co-ordinated approach that takes in dozens of existing investigations into other acts of violence,drug and firearm importation and supply,vehicle theft and other criminal activities.

Fitzgerald said the taskforce is targeting “a large amount of people in regards to dealing and distributing prohibited drugs” – as opposed to the “small number of people” NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said last week were involved in the shootings themselves.

“We are definitely not losing the fight. You will see in the coming days,weeks and months the significant arrests that we will be making,” Fitzgerald said.

The new push will mean 60 police officers are taken from other investigations to focus on the recent fatal shootings and associated organised criminal activities,with an overall workforce of “hundreds of police on a daily basis”,Bennett said.

“I’m not telling you anything you don’t know when I say there was two[fatal shootings] last week,we’ve had a recent spate,so we need to adjust our tactics and adjust our resources.”

The injection of 60 more officers to the taskforce comes after NSW Police last week announced 30 new officers would be added to its high visibility,anti-gang Strike Force Raptor.

In addition to multiple NSW Police specialist commands,the taskforce will also receive assistance and support from partner agencies including the NSW Crime Commission,Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and Australian Federal Police.

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