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Monday, February 18, 2008

Investigative reporter Adam Shand almost copped the hiding of his life when he got too close to the infamous Carlton Crew. He lived to tell the tale. Many didn’t.

In the last week of April 2004, gun smoke was again heavy in Melbourne’s autumn air. One of my best fizzes, The Dentist, called to say two more villains had gone down. At around 30 stiffs I was losing count.

Attack of the clowns
Carl Williams had made about $15 million from the speed caper and had enough coin to buy the best triggermen in the business. Instead, he hired some of the most unreliable, stupid drones ever to strap on a shooter. The only one worth having was Andrew "Benji" Veniamin, a natural born killer who boasted he could splatter someone’s brains on a wall and then sleep like a baby. The only problem with Benji was he could be killing on your behalf and shopping round for a contract to knock you at the same time. He liked to keep his options open.

Rebel assault
By April 2004, murder in the Melbourne underworld was so common that to hear a team like Asling and Collins had been hit hardly moved me.
Eight hours earlier, the story went, the pair were on their way to do a job. In their possession was a machinegun. When driving in city traffic it’s always advisable to stow loose items – especially automatic weapons. There was an incident and the next thing the machinegun was spraying rounds inside the car like a garden hose let loose. Collins was apparently killed outright. Asling was hit in the shoulder.

Use the force
Mario Condello was one of the most prominent money launderers in Melbourne. He had serious links with “the Honoured Society”, and convictions for marijuana trafficking and insurance fraud. He understood the history of the Mafia – the customs and culture. If he decided to broker a peace with the Mokbels and Williamses of the world, it would be on his terms.

The empire strikes back
By June 2004, Condello was sleeping only a few hours at a time, and changing locations almost daily, never giving the assassins on his trail a chance to lock on to his routine. Not that the killers were being too stealthy. Carl had all but told me he was going to whack Condello and apparently had been spreading the word in nightclubs when he was whacked on ouzo and crack.

Are the Melbourne underworld the most dangerous criminals in Australia? Leave your comment below.