Mystery Million - Crime Gangs millions

On the 17th of February the Herald Sun newspaper published an article under the heading "Mystery Million".

The article implies that no one knows how the well established crime family, the Chaouks have come to fortune.

An online article of the family follows:

Slain crime patriarch Machhour Chaouk's tidy fortune

SLAIN crime patriarch Machhour Chaouk amassed more than $1 million before he was gunned down - despite not holding a job for 25 years.

The Herald Sun can reveal Chaouk, who was shot dead outside his home last August, left his entire estate to his sick wife Fatma.

Chaouk's will shows the 64-year-old died with $1.2 million worth of real estate, $9000 in personal property and a $9000 2001 Toyota Hilux.

His assets included the double-storey family home in Brooklyn in Melbourne's west, where he was killed, and two other homes in Brooklyn.

Born in Tripoli, Chaouk migrated from Lebanon in 1969, working at a tyre factory in Sydney's west.

He returned to Lebanon to marry Fatma before the couple settled in Brooklyn in 1974.

Over the next 20 years the couple produced five sons and a daughter, and went about building an empire in the western suburbs.

For a time, Chaouk worked in a wool store in Sunshine and then a fruit shop, but he was never out of trouble for long.

In 1975, he was charged with his first offence, assault with a weapon, after he beat another man with metal bars at a factory.

In 1983 he was convicted of trafficking heroin, and two years later was charged with assaulting police.

His crimes were not just restricted to Victoria. In 1984 he was charged with assault and burglary by NSW police. A year later he was incapacitated by two motor accidents and never worked again.

In 1986, Chaouk was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and spent years on anti-depressants.

He was charged with recklessly causing serious injury after beating a man over an allegedly stolen bike in 1991.

That year he also invested in an unsuccessful grocery shop, a failure that resulted in the loss of his home.

In 2000, Chaouk was sentenced to five years in prison for trafficking in heroin.

Last month police offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to a murder conviction over Chaouk.

Anyone with information on Chaouk's death should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

heraldsun.com.au 17 Feb 2011

The major crime families in Australia are well known to authorities, that being police, government and the various departments within.

To suggest that one is unaware of their 'fortunes' these families amass is quite simply untrue.

The understanding is that these families are to be "left alone". Anyone who tries to bring them to 'justice' is met with stiff opposition, and in cases left (beaten / hurt) as an example for others NOT to follow suite.

It is ONLY when their criminal activities (drugs, hits, prostitution, money laundering, passport fraud, etc) overflow into the public eye, is when the police 'seem' to be taking action, only on the directive from their superiors.