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When tactical police raided a house in the north-west Sydney suburb of Dural they found Bilal Bou-Melhem bloodied, bound and held captive for a half-million dollar ransom.
Two weeks later, police were again dispatched to track down the Mount Pritchard tobacconist. This time, it would end with him in handcuffs and facing illegal tobacco, criminal group and weapons charges.
According to police documents released by the NSW Supreme Court during a bail hearing this week, Bou-Melham is no ordinary tobacconist. The 54-year-old has a lengthy criminal history, which includes eight years in prison for trying to acquire heroin imported in car parts in 2008.
The documents allege Bou-Melham had not just returned to a life of crime since his release from jail in 2014, but was directing a black market smokes empire, had collected replica weapons, and was swearing vengeance against the people who put him back behind bars.
It was in February this year when four masked men swooped on Bou-Melhem outside his tobacco shop, and were caught on camera bundling him into a waiting car. A $500,000 ransom demand was sent to Bou-Melhem’s son warning the tobacconist would “rest in piss” if it wasn’t paid. A 16-year-old boy is among seven arrested over the plot.
In March, the police returned to the tobacconist to serve the 53-year-old with a firearms’ prohibition notice.
Searches of the tobacconist’s premises allegedly uncovered almost 250 kilograms of illegal tobacco, about 800,000 cigarettes, including in hidden compartments, the court documents revealed. That was on top of $54,000 in cash seized in February, the suspected proceeds from the black-market smokes.
At Bou-Melhem’s home they allegedly found four replica pistols, including a Derringer, an air gun and shotgun shells.
Prison phone call recordings to Bou-Melhem’s son, disclosed in the court documents, allege the tobacconist tried to keep his business operating between complaints about boredom in prison, and his diet of bread, noodles and tea.
He allegedly discussed organising shipments of tobacco and the collection of debts and worried he was being taped, so pushed for in-person discussions.
“They can see me, but they can’t listen to me,” Bou-Melhem allegedly said.
He even considered smuggling smokes into the prisons for thousands of dollars, the police documents allege.
But his entrepreneurial spirit turned to rage and vengeance toward the people he suspected of informing or working against him, police allege.
“I’m looking for the dogs that did this to me and if I catch them, I’m going to kill them,” Bou-Melhem allegedly told his son in a March call.
“Tell me his name, so I can send a message, so they can bash him/kill him,” he added, learning one suspected foe was in another prison.
“They are the cause of everything. I’m going to make them pay every cent.”
Other people in Bou-Melhem’s world would have to be “disciplined”, or “taught a lesson”, the tobacconist allegedly said in phone calls. Some he named, others not.
“Me going to jail is on him. My loss is on him. Everything is on him. Watch what I’m going to do to him,” he allegedly sprayed down the phone.
The tobacconist also allegedly directed threats against the police who seized his cash, police documents further claim.
“I’m going to f— him when I get out,” he allegedly said.
Bou-Melhem’s son, 28-year-old Mahmoud, was charged by Strike Force Barbalin with similar alleged tobacco and proceeds of crime offences in May.
Ultimately, Bou-Melhem failed in his bid for release this week. His lawyer argued for house arrest, but the judge was unconvinced the community would be safe and he was refused bail.
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