Where is Sam Ibrahim now? The ex-bikie boss' new life after release
Organised crime, legal battles, eventual incarceration, and visa cancellation once marked Hassan "Sam" Ibrahim's life. But where is Sam Ibrahim now after being released from prison? As of 2025, Sam Ibrahim is in Lebanon, deported from Australia in October 2020 after a five-year sentence for firearms conspiracy.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Sam Ibrahim, former president of the Nomads Motorcycle Club's Granville chapter, has a history of drug smuggling, extortion, and firearms offences.
- He was convicted in 2014 of firearms conspiracy.
- The Australian government cancelled his Visa due to his extensive criminal record.
- Sam Ibrahim was deported to Lebanon in October 2020 after serving a five-year sentence for conspiring to supply firearms.
- Sam Ibrahim is believed to be living in Lebanon.
Who is Sam Ibrahim?
Sam Ibrahim was born around 1966 in Tripoli, Lebanon, and migrated to Australia with his family at age four. He grew up in the working-class suburb of Merrylands, Sydney, and was part of the Ibrahim family, which included his younger brother John Ibrahim, a well-known nightclub owner dubbed the "King of the Cross."
By the 1990s, he had risen to notoriety as a key player in Sydney's organised crime scene, particularly through his leadership in the Parramatta chapter of the Nomads Motorcycle Club.
Ibrahim's criminal activities were extensive. He was linked to drug smuggling, extortion, and violent crimes. In 1997, he was elected president of the Nomads' Granville chapter, which became a powerful criminal organisation under his influence.
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His criminal record includes a 2004 charge for the kneecapping of two men in Newcastle, though he was acquitted. Sam Ibrahim also faced allegations of running a drug distribution ring in the late 1990s, but this resulted in an acquittal.
However, his most significant legal trouble came in 2014 when he was arrested alongside his sister, her partner, and former Rose Tattoo drummer Paul DeMarco.
Police raids in Sydney and the Illawarra uncovered an arsenal, including an M1 military-grade assault rifle, three pistols, two shotguns, and 11 handguns, leading to his conviction for conspiring to supply firearms.
Sam Ibrahim's incarceration
In 2014, Sam Ibrahim was sentenced to nine years in prison with a non-parole period of six years and six months for the firearms conspiracy charge. The charge was later reduced to a minimum of five years and nine months on appeal.
While incarcerated, a pivotal development altered his future. In 2015, the Australian Department of Home Affairs cancelled his permanent residency visa on character grounds due to his extensive criminal history. The decision, made under strict citizenship laws introduced by the Federal Government, set the stage for his deportation to Lebanon upon release.
Ibrahim's legal team fought the deportation order, arguing that he faced significant danger in Lebanon, a country he had not lived in since childhood. His barrister, Julieanne Levick, called the visa cancellation "outrageous" and vowed to challenge the Immigration Minister's discretion.
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Despite these efforts, the cancellation stood, and Ibrahim's fate was sealed. He had lived in Australia for over five decades, had children with his Australian wife, Karen, and was deeply embedded in Sydney's social fabric, yet his criminal past outweighed these ties in the eyes of the law.
Where is Sam Ibrahim now?
In September 2020, Sam Ibrahim was granted parole after serving over five years in prison. However, freedom was short-lived. On October 29, 2020, police officers from the NSW Police Force's Strike Force Raptor escorted him from prison to Perth, where he was handed over to Australian Border Force officials for deportation.
The operation was carefully planned, with police wary of potential ambushes by associates. They feared that Sam still had a lingering influence in the underworld. He was deported to Lebanon, his country of birth, in late 2020. The move was celebrated by NSW Police State Crime Commander Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith, who stated:
Today, a person who for many years has conducted criminal activity with little regard for the devastation he has left in his wake has departed NSW never to return.
Is Sam Ibrahim still alive?
Yes. Since his deportation, verifiable details about Sam Ibrahim's life in Lebanon are scarce, as he has largely stayed out of the public eye. Lebanon presents a stark contrast to Sydney's bustling underworld. However, Tajjour's claim that Ibrahim would "relish life outside of Australia" hints at a level of financial or social security.
In 2023, The West Australian briefly mentioned Sam Ibrahim as one of the immigration detainees released into Perth's community, hinting at a possible return to Australia or a legal loophole.
Where are the Ibrahim brothers now?
Sam Ibrahim's story cannot be fully understood without considering his family's influence. The Ibrahim brothers—Sam, John, Fadi, and Michael—have been labelled by police as key figures in Sydney's organised crime, though John has never been convicted of such crimes.
John Ibrahim lives in Sydney, Australia, where he is a prominent nightclub owner and entrepreneur known as the "King of the Cross." He also resides in the eastern suburbs and owns multiple properties, including a Dover Heights clifftop mansion purchased in 2001 for $1.165 million and two adjacent properties acquired in 2007 for $2.5 million.
John has never been convicted of serious criminal offences despite being named in over 540 police intelligence reports and facing charges like murder and perverting the course of justice, all dismissed. Fadi Ibrahim, born around 1974, is in Sydney, though his exact whereabouts are unclear.
In September 2017, he was extradited from Dubai to Australia to face charges of money laundering and involvement in an international drug and tobacco smuggling syndicate. Fadi was released from a maximum security prison and placed under house arrest in Sydney by late September 2017, pending bail conditions requiring over $2 million.
Michael Ibrahim, born around 1979, is incarcerated in Australia, serving a 30-year sentence for drug-related charges. Arrested in Dubai in 2017 alongside Fadi for smuggling two tonnes of drugs into Australia, he was extradited and convicted in 2020, with a non-parole period of 21 years.
Final word
So, where is Sam Ibrahim now? Sam Ibrahim is believed to be living in Lebanon. He was deported in late 2020 after serving a five-year sentence for firearms conspiracy. His life post-release is shrouded in mystery, with no confirmed reports detailing his activities or whereabouts.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
