Enforcer for the Comancheros Charged After Bodging a Stand-Over

Former Comancheros bikie enforcer, Samson Bazi, has been charged by the Victorian police with assault and blackmail. The Herald Sun reports that in March, Bazi was involved in a bikie hit squad who attempted to stand-over a man for $300,000. Five days later the victim's home was attacked with high powered assault rifles.

Bazi has long been the muscle for the Comancheros. As a notorious street fighter, Bazi rose quickly to power through one of the most violent clubs in the country, becoming the club "enforcer" at a time when the Comancheros were making headlines for shootings, murders and for the commercial trafficking of cocaine. He made his own first headlines in 2013 when he clashed with a group of plumbers at the Spearmint Rhino strip club, leaving one man unconscious on the floor.

This time, the charges against Bazi were more serious. He appeared before the Melbourne magistrates court on Wednesday night facing charges of assault and blackmail. According to Detective Senior Constable Mat Pesci, the bikie had allegedly kicked and punched the victim, before threatening, “We know where you live, you owe us $300,000. Come up with the money.”

Police allege the whole fiasco began when two businessmen and brothers, Ray and Anthony Warda, employed the Comancheros to blackmail the victim for $130,000, which Bazi then increased to $300,000 during the assault. The victim was not in debt with the Wardan brothers.

Detective Mat Pesci told the court that five days later a number of shots were fired into an unoccupied vehicle and the victim's garage with a high powered assault rifle, most likely an AK-47 or an SKS.

Bazi’s co-accused, Eren Kaya, Joshua Brennan, and Moustafa Akbaba are all linked to the Comancheros motorcycle club. They were arrested and charged with firearms offences over an alleged drive-by shooting at the victims home in Greenvale.

In the lead up to the shooting, Detective Senior Constable Len Clarke said police intercepted phone calls that captured Kaya and Brennan discussing the theft of a car and obtaining false license plates.

The Echo taskforce conducted widespread raids of 16 properties connected to the Comancheros on Tuesday morning, resulting in the arrests of 14 men ranging in age from 24 to 58.

Magistrate Bob Kumar denied bail for all the accused. Kaya and Bazi were charged with two assaults and blackmail, while Akbaba and Brenan were both charged with conduct endangering life, and possession and use of a d-category firearm.

Detectives have not ruled out the Comancheros motorcycle club involvement in a string of mistaken-identity executions last year. Mo Yucel was murdered in a brutal shooting as he sat in his garage with his friends playing video-games, as was Zabi Ezadyar of Ferntree Gully, who was shot several times at close range after being stalked by a hitman.

Police Assistant Commissioner Tess Walsh told the press conference that “the Comancheros have traditionally been involved in violent crimes…we are not intimidated by them and we will not allow our communities to be.”