Five months before to Lametta Fadlallah’s death, her oldest son was imprisoned on drug and proceeds of crime-related charges.
Police discovered cocaine, ecstasy, firearms, and other substances at a residence, leading to the conviction of Abraham Derbas, whose father is notorious Sydney underworld figure Shadi Derbas.
He received a 20-month sentence for the Bankstown, western Sydney, raid in March 2021, but he completed it in the community under an intensive correctional order.
On August 13, an underworld assassin shot and killed his mother, age 48, when she was riding in the backseat of a Toyota 4WD in Panania, western Sydney.
Amy Hazouri, 39, who had just completed blow-drying Ms Fadlallah’s hair for an engagement party at a nearby Lebanese restaurant that they were both going to attend, was also shot and killed by the 15 bullets that four gunmen fired through the car’s windows.
Her son was detained after being seen entering and exiting a rented home that was being watched by police from Strike Force Northrop, better known as the Dial-a-Dealer investigation.
On March 10, 2021, Derbas was seen getting close to a vehicle window and handing something to the driver, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Soon later, the automobile was stopped, and cocaine was discovered inside.
When police searched the home two days later, Derbas and another guy were there. They discovered cocaine, ecstasy, a pill press, marijuana, cash, and a sawn-off shotgun.
Derbas was charged with 17 offences, including trading in narcotics revenues and selling illegal substances.
In Burwood Local Court in March of last year, he entered a plea of guilty to two of the charges—supplying 68g of cocaine and handling $6,700 in criminal profits.
Derbas was given a sentence of 20 months in prison starting on March 30, but he was spared prison time and permitted to spend it in the community thanks to an intensive rehabilitation order.
He was told by Magistrate Richard Funston not to gamble or use drugs since doing so may result in a genuine prison sentence.
Last Monday, Derbas attended their mother’s burial service at Saint Charbel’s Monastery in Punchbowl together with his younger half-brother Ghazi.
However, Derbas did not spend the majority of the service inside the church; instead, he and a small group of supporters toured the grounds and watched the sermon from a distance.
He is believed to be a Muslim, so he chose to stay outside during the Maronite Christian service.
No mention of Ms. Fadlallah’s alleged connections to the underworld or the brutal manner in which she was shot was made during the service.
Lametta devoted her life to her kids. She spared no expense for her sons, even during hard times, mourners were told.
Derbas and Ghazi, her sons, hugged after the funeral was over, released gold and white balloons, and posed for pictures with a framed photo of their mother.
A smaller group of mourners gathered at Rookwood cemetery for her burial after the service.
Police are still looking into the killings of Ms. Fadlallah and Ms. Hazouri.
Two other people who were in the front seat were unharmed in the attack, but deeply traumatised.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest the shooting had anything to do with Derbas.