War in the Streets of Varaloux, Crime and Street Politics in the Countries Capital Faruk Alja Vehab from Prison By: Elaine Chor (@EChorInvestigator)The night of October 3rd, 2007. A man walks along the elevated tracks through the city. He's dressed in black, and under his coat is a single shot, 10 gauge shotgun. He walks along the rails heading south on the Blue Line. He crossed the Miscitoon River and followed the line into the Vallée du Soleil neighborhood. Along the track he stops and uses the rail line to access a fire escape. He uses this to make his way up to the fifth floor of a residential apartment. He climbs through the window of Sumail Jolani's apartment. Jolani, sleeping in bed with his girlfriend at the time is shot dead by a single shotgun slug. His girlfriend wakes up, only to see a shadowy figure run out of the room and through the window, back onto the fire escape.
This would be the first shot in what would be called the "Clan Wars". Jolani was the leader of the Deghan Clan, a criminal organization made up mostly of immigrants from Zuljikistan, many of whom fled to Temischa in the 60's and 70's as the northern insurgency hit its peak. Jolani was one such immigrant. He came to Temischa in 1974 at the age of 5 with his mother and 9 siblings. Like many other Zuljiki immigrants he settled in the Vallée du Soleil neighborhood which at the time, and to a large degree still is the epicenter of the Muslim community in the country. Jolani would start his criminal career by running a small purse snatching gang when he was 11. By the time he was 18 he had been arrested nearly 17 times and had served several stints in juvenile detention. Once he turned 18 he became a leader of the Deghan Clans youth wing. He helped to organize attacks against Borzhjian clan members, most notably the Dzemalbek Clan. These came to a fevered pitch when two 14 year old and a 16 year old killed 54 year old Karimsultan Hadzhihassan. Hadzhihassan was known to be involved in the illicit Ketamine trade in the capital and was a prominent member of the Dzemalbek Clan. It was claimed that Jolani ordered this murder, specifying the use of axes in order to make a point. However these claims never materialized any corroborating evidence. Jolani himself would eventually evolve into an eccentric character. By his 30's he was driving around in a pink Vogel, wearing Victor Coulomb Suits, and Habitual smoking Veracoan cigars. He has stated that his wealth has come from properties in the city he owns. He has been steadfast in his denial of involvement in organized crime throughout the years. However in 2008 his properties were audited by the Provincial Auditor General's Office, the audit was personally taken on by Auditor General Louis Asp. Reportedly because the National Attorney General Alice J. Mikkelsen put pressure on them in response to possible links between Jolani and convicted hitman Kareem "Tifl" Aloush. The audit showed that not only was there roughly 28.4 million dollars unaccounted for in Jolanis fancies but that the properties he owned had been vacant since he bought them all circa 2000. These findings were reported to the Providential Attorney General and later to National Prosecutor General Alexandre Shcherbina. His office claims the properties were used to launder money and called for his arrest. Jolani was arrested but posted the $700,000 bail and returned home.
Later that year Suzanna Tchevsky broke a story of Jolani cooperating with federal authorities. According to an illegally leaked document she obtained Jolani said that he used the properties as a front to launder money from several international sources relating to the trade of non-taxable tobacco, Cocaine, Ketamine, and the trafficking of young women. This was all done in cooperation with the Dzemalbek Clan, the killing of Hadzhihassan was requested by the Dzemalbek Clan and that he organized his murder. He claims Hadzhihassan had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of revenue and the Clan leadership wanted him to become an example. After this report came out the Justice Department would both issue a statement saying the report was a fabrication, and would file a lawsuit against Le Héraut Hebdomadaire the publication which published Tchevsky's piece. The Deghan Clan would side with Jolani claiming the story was false. However people within the Dzemalbek Clan felt like he was attempting to scapegoat them for his own freedom. 17 days after the release of the story Jolani would be murdered.
The Investigation into Jolani's murder quickly pulled up two likely suspects. 19 year old Hafiz Teskaderzhdi and 29 year old Faruk Aljia Vehab. Hafiz has been a known juvenile soldier for the Dzhemalbek clan since he was 10 years old and has been involved in numerous beating and stabbing. He was even implicated in the group assault of Gregori Sydor which would later result in Sydors death. Faruk is the son of the alleged leader of the Dzhemalbek Clan, Zlatan Hadzhi Vehab. Hafiz was quickly disqualified after video evidence surfaced of him at a hookah bar on the other side of town. Thus leaving Faruk as the main suspect.
Much like his alleged victim, Faruk led a lavish and extremely eccentric lifestyle. He's known for dating high profile women like Actress Héloïse Shearville, model Yvonne Ôrthie, and designer Ramona Uzma. He has a collection of foreign cars, wears designer suits wherever he goes, and is known to own nearly $2.2 million worth of firearms at his suburban home in Kitchikaspa. He has also been implicated in both gray market and black market activities. He has been linked to several brothels in the capital which have a quasi-legal status. One such brothel he has money in was busted for illicit activities, 28 Avlonyan nationals were recovered, believed to be trafficked to Temischa via Merala. An investigation found said women were documented in tax filings as "Cigar Holders". He has also been implicated in the cities massive ketamine business. Multiple videos of him have gone viral both in Temischa and abroad. The most famous of these videos was one in where Mr. Vehab snorts a half meter long line of Ketamine. He then starts to yell "I am God, Allah, the Buddha, and the Sun. The mother fucking worms that walk the street fear me!" He then takes two fully automatic MP3 submachine guns and fires them into the sky. In another video he is seen promoting the Dame Bleue, an infamous "All-You-Can-Fuck" brothel in the Vallée du Soleil neighborhood. He was surrounded by scantily clad women, presumedly workers at the Dame Bleue. One of the Women says "it's your house, you can do whatever you want." Vehab then says "like this." Before he slaps the woman so hard in the back of the head that she falls over onto the ground and out of frame. Vehab looks stoically into the camera as the women around him express visible shock at what just happened.
Upon the revelation that he was a suspect, journalist Marie Baptiste attempted to interview him. The exchange has gone down as a clear indicator of his mentality. He never answers her questions, instead pivots and attempts to offer her a job at the Dame Bleue, saying she'd make 10 times as much as she does working as a professional liar. When she persists with her questioning he confronts her, gets into her face, nose touching nose, and says "You're messing with the Devil." He then walks off and Baptiste does not follow up.
In the meantime, the Deghan Clan is reading from the loss of a major figure in its organization as the media circus around Vehab puts public pressure off of them. They launch an attack to attempt and capitalize on Vehabs notoriety. In December of 2009 a group of five men met at a local club, it's a known hangout of Vahabs. When his iconic Vogel pulls up the men disperse and open fire. The group fired into the vehicle only for Vehabs security to come out and begin shooting fully automatic rifle fire at the assailants. The attacks disperse and the car drives away. Astoundingly no one was hurt in the attack and Vehab himself was actually at his Penthouse in the La Colline de l'Enfer neighborhood, his security detail had simply taken the vehicle out for a ride and wanted to go to the club, luckily for them they still had their weapons inside. The next day Dzhemalbek enforcers would shoot up a front business used by the Deghan Clan. 3 people were killed, all patrons of the business.
On March 5th Vehab was arrested for 1st Degree Murder, this after evidence showed a man store security entering and exiting Jolani's apartment in line with witness testimony. Another camera in a private parking lot shows a man in the same clothing leaving and entering in a car that belongs to Vehab. In the aftermath of the arrest Zlatan Hadzhi Vehab is reported to front the nearly $1 Million in bond for his son and started a lengthy conversation with a man known simply as "Slon."
Slon at this time is an unknown figure, however a few clues can be gathered from the initial correspondence, notably that he is a member of a Bike gang in the province of Baie de St. Luke. The two have what is a very normal conversation. A few weeks later Hadzhi Vehab meets with a man at a small Kebab restaurant. Money is exchanged at one point but nothing is clear in regards to details. The man is Identified as Maxime Basquebazter by police, a known leader in the Démons Disciples Biker Gang. He has a criminal history just as long as anyone involved. He was been known to be involved in the Cocaine industry helping to move products up north and serving several stints in prison for it. He's also known for the Murder of Guy Russignol and Anton Vachon, two rival bikers. However the murders were ruled self defense and Basquebazter had not broken any firearms violation as he used a smooth bore, black powder repeating pistol, legal for felons to carry. Compared to the people he'd just met with, Basquebazter was a reserved person who didn't speak out much. However former members noted that as a leader he commanded a mix of fear and respect, saying that he had moved billions worth of drugs and his body was easily in the high double digits.
Basquebazter would disappear for some time afterwards. However his gang would see a noticeable uptick in activity in the city. As the Dzhemalbeks and Deghans retreated to allow the legal issues to work themselves out. On September 7th the gang would stalk a group of known Daghan associates near the Cour Cachée housing project. The bikers would ride up and assault them with lead pipes, break four jaws, 7 humerus, and 47 ribs in total. The next month would see what was dumb the "Frêneboise War" named after the southern city district the majority of the violence played out in. This culminated in the l'Oranger Attack. At an after party celebrating the wedding if Alamsai Yussufzadah and Ebrahim Zargari members of the Démons Disciples attacks opening fire with assault rifle on the crowd. The groom, a prolific smuggler in his own right, was killed. His wife and seven other women including a 16 year old were kidnapped in the attack. A total of 15 people were killed and near 57 injured.
The Daghan Clan, now helmed by Ajmal Saadatmandi, was finding itself in a tight space. In a series of social media direct messages Saadatmandi described that he was fearful of retaliation because he knew his ranks were flush with informants. However many of the old guard saw that the only way for them to continue operations was to retaliate and set an example. Saadatmandi rebuffed these calls. On November 3rd however a group of hooligans with association with the Deghan clan would kill Elem Alispahin, Izetbeg Hadzhibulah, and Zhjuk Dzhefari as they walked home from a convenience store. The same group would later go on to kill Ashja Tefuk and Khadija Tefuk, sisters who were sitting in a public park before they were shot dead. The most likely reason for them being targeted was their father's relationship with the Clan. In December the Démons Disciples would make one more appearance. They would attack and kidnap Saadatmandi’s son Mojtab. The kidnapping would apparently break Saadatmandi of his unwillingness to attack, nearly 13 stabbings against Dzhemalbek associates would occur in the weeks after, as would the Bus Stop Campaign of targeted assassinations, killing 7 all together. Mojtab's body would be found a month later in the St. Loïc Bay near Peupleraie. He exhibited severe signs of physical assault and torture.
The location of his murder was unknown until 2 months later. Local police in the North Western Province of Mynaughtsau impounded a tractor trailer after the driver had been arrested for Disorderly Conduct. When it arrived at the Aspiniq Town Police Center the trailer was open, inside was several layers of sound proofing, a chair with built in restraints, and what the police called "a plethora of torture devices." Blood could be found all over inside. Samples were sent off to the Federal Directorate of Investigation (DFE) for testing. The DFE would find nearly 34 unique signatures in the samples, one of them belonging to Mojtab Saadatmandi. The driver would be arrested.
The Federal Investigation would go silent afterwards, Justice Minister Élodie Fitzrichard would grant the case a seal, preventing media access to the case until it came to trial. However events on the street continue to transpire, several stabbings a day coupled with multiple assaults on rival clan factions would. These culminated in the attempted assassination of City Prosecutor Jean du Chêne. Two men dressed in business attire would walk into the high class restaurant Balthazar's and seat themselves a table away from where du Chêne was having a business dinner. They would produce illegally modified fully automatic pistols and open fire of du Chêne. A total of 100 rounds were fired in the span of 5 seconds. Du Chêne was hit multiple times but most missed his vitals, the man with him, City Alderman Raoul Côté however was killed after several shots struck him in the side of his head. The men escaped on foot. They were later identified as Salem Khostani and Fizal Ebrahim. This would finally lead to federal police conducting what was called Operation Gestionnaire Fantôme. This was the deployment of nearly 1,000 federal officers to help crackdown and reinforce local police capabilities. These also lead to the arrests of dozens of Dzhemalbek and Deghan clan members including top leadership. A separate federal arrest would target nearly 27 members of the Démons Disciples to include Maxime Basquebazter himself.
Four months later the case would be unsealed, revealing that men like Zlatan Hadzhi Vehab, Ajmal Saadatmandi, and Maxime Basquebazter were indicated on nearly three dozen charges each going from conspiracy to false imprisonment, human trafficking, and murder. Faruk Vehab was left out of these charges however. During the court case, the largest in the nation's recent history did we see why. Faruk had flipped and was fully cooperating with federal authorities. The Murder of Jolani was a coordinated affair, they had used Hafiz as a "sacrificial lamb" and had him kill Jolani in order to prevent him from. Working with authorities. However after his assassination the Daghan clan had attempted to thrown the Dzhemalbek clan under the bus and possit6itsekf as the strongest criminal group in the country. This led to a campaign of terror directly coordinated by Hadzhi Vehab, this is where Maxime Basquebazter comes in. The Démons Disciples were the largest single buyers of Dzhemalbek product, the business relation helped establish a relation that would lead to the Démons Disciples being the clans ``Death Squad". The biker gang operated a modified trailer that was used as a mobile murder room. Here they would torture and murder enemies of Hadzhi Vehab personal and then dumb their bodies hundreds of miles away throughout the rural highway systems. Mojtab's murder was just one such in a long string. Faruk Vehab had reportedly flipped because of rumors within the clan his father was planning on having the Démons Disciples murder him for being too much of a liability.
The bombshell revelations of the criminal political world had shocked the nation. Faruk Vehab would later be murdered by a Dzhemalbek affiliate in prison after his whirlwind testimony. However all the leaders of the organizations involved would be sentenced and each would get roughly 200+ years for the multitudes of crimes they committed. All currently serve in d'Aardbeiville Maximum Security Prison. None were willing to give statements regarding their cases for this paper. Justice Minister Fitzrichard said that "This is the most successful federal case against modern organized crime, it dwarfed the Volgar Mafia cases in the early 50's and i think it has been the single biggest contribution to the increase in safety in the city." The city of Varaleaux, marketed as "the poorest place you want to live" by Mayor Arnoud Reloux has seen a dramatic drop in crime since the case nearly 10 years ago. While drug consumption and selling has only risen since, the violence surrounding it has dramatically gone down making the city a statistically safer place to live.
Next Time we will dive deep into the gangs of Yekaterinville and the politically motivated street war taking place between Anti-Fascists and Far-Right Street gangs in the city.