Mahmoud Al-Zein

Mahmoud Al-Zein (Arabic: محمود الزين‎) nicknamed "The godfather of Berlin" is regarded as one of the most powerful organised crime bosses in Germany.[1] His clan, the Al-Zein Clan, is believed to have several thousands of members, possibly up to 15,000 members.[2] The Al-Zein family forms a part of the Mardalli/Mhallami group of Arab Kurds within the Kurdish community in Lebanon.[3][4]

Al-Zein has contacts throughout Europe and the Middle East.[5]

Biography

Al-Zein arrived with his wife in Germany in 1982 . Later investigations by a special police task force established that he was born 1966 in Anatolia under the name of Mahmoud Uca (first name also written Mahmud or Mahmut).[6][7] He is believed to hold Lebanese or Turkish citizenship, possibly both, but the situation is unclear as he could possibly be stateless, continuing to hamper ongoing attempts to deport him.[8]

In 2006, Berlin daily newspaper Tagesspiegel wrote that during a trial "El Presidente" had claimed his real name was Mahaiddine Al-Zein, born in Beirut in 1966, of Kurdish Lebanese descent. Meanwhile the state prosecutor maintained Mahmoud Al-Zein was born under the name Mahmut Uca in Turkey in 1972. German investigators had found out that Mahmoud's father who - like his son - lived in Germany on state benefits, was registered in the village of Üçkavak (this village is also known under its former Arabic name Rajdiye/Al-Rashdiye[9]) in Mardin Province, close to the border with Syria.[10] Mahmut Uca was being stripped of his Turkish citizenship on February 13, 2002. However, "El Presidente" denied all this and told the court he didn't know anything about a Turkish citizenship.[11]

In March 2008, Mahmoud Al-Zein was sentenced to 4 years and 3 month in prison for drug trafficking.[12]

His claim for asylum was already denied in 1984 and the decision upheld despite appeals in 1988 and 1992. Attempts to deport him to Turkey, following convictions for drug trafficking offences,[13] failed after Turkey in 2002 officially stripped him of his Turkish citizenship, on the grounds that he allegedly dodged the obligatory military service in Turkey.[14] On January 29, 2021, he left Berlin on a plane bound for Turkey, with a Turkish passport for Mahmut Uca.[15]

Personal life and family

Al-Zein is married and has 10 children. Officially, Mahmoud Al-Zein makes a living out of drawing German unemployment benefits (Arbeitslosengeld).[16][17]

He has a brother named Youssef Elzein who was a bodybuilder and a champion of Lebanon seven times.[18] Mahmoud's nephew Muhammed "Hamudi" Ali Al-Zein, 26-year-old son of Mahmoud's brother Ali al-Zein, who came in 1978 as a refugee from Lebanon to Germany, is a young promising heavyweight boxer from Düsseldorf.[19] In 2015 he became WBC Mediterranean champion.[20][21][22][23][24]

Another nephew of Mahmoud, Mohamed Hassan Al-Zein, paid tribute to his uncle saying that Mahmoud is a role model for him and called his uncle a legend. His admiration culminated with the statement 'Best uncle in the world'.[25][26]

References
  1. "derLibanese "El Presidente" u.d. Rauschgifthandel - 27.09.06 - Forum". Ariva.De. Retrieved 2013-03-06.
  2. Anja Nehls (2016-05-17). "Die illegalen Geschäfte arabischer Clans in Berlin" (in German). Deutschlandradio. Retrieved 2013-03-06.
  3. "When they are invited to talk about their ethnicity, members of this group refer to themselves as “Arab Kurds” or “Mardallis” and, in some cases, as “Arabs” or as “Kurds. [...] The majority, however, refer to themselves after the clusters of villages from where they came, such as“al-Rashdiye” and “Mhallamiye.” For the purposes of this paper, the Kurmanji-speaking Kurds are labeled as Kurmanj and the non-Kurmanji-speaking group as Mardallis. Among the largest families of the Mardalli group in Lebanon are: ‘Atriss, Fakhro, Fattah, Harb, Miri, Omari, Omayrat, Ramadan, Rammu, Sha‘bu, Sharif, Shaykhmusa, Siyala, and al-Zein.” p. 2-3 in: Lokman I. Meho & Farah W. Kawtharani: The Kurdish community in Lebanon, aub.edu.lb
  4. Reiner Burger (2014-04-22). "Parallele Welten" (in German). faz.net. Retrieved 2017-11-09.
  5. Jens Anker. "Banden verursachten 187 Millionen Mark Schaden" (in German). Tagesspiegel.de. Retrieved 2013-03-06.
  6. "Das ist über die arabische Großfamilie Al-Z. bekannt" (in German). bz-berlin.de. 2016-04-12. Retrieved 2017-11-09.
  7. "Das ist der Berliner Bandenchef Mahmoud Al-Zein" (in German). Berlin Journal. 2016-04-18. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
  8. Lorenz Maroldt (2003-07-12). "Ein Land für den Präsidenten" (in German). Tagesspiegel.de. Retrieved 2013-03-06.
  9. Siedlungen der M”allami-Arabisch-sprachigen Bevölkerung in der Provinz Mardin , rbenninghaus.de
  10. Lorenz Maroldt (2003-07-12). "Ein Land für den Präsidenten" (in German). Tagesspiegel.de. Retrieved 2013-03-06.
  11. Lorenz Maroldt (2006-09-15). "Wer ist "El Presidente" wirklich?" (in German). Tagesspiegel.de. Retrieved 2017-11-09.
  12. "Drogenboss zu vier Jahren Haft verurteilt" (in German). welt.de. 2008-03-05. Retrieved 2017-11-09.
  13. Der Pate von Berlin, spiegel.de, 2003. Archived on Jan 7, 2004 (in German)
  14. Werner van Bebber, Lorenz Maroldt (2003-09-16). "Türkei will, dass Unterweltgröße Al-Zein in Berlin bleibt" (in German). Tagesspiegel.de. Retrieved 2013-03-06.
  15. Claas Meyer-Heuer, Thomas Heise, Roman Lehberger (2021-01-29). "Familienoberhaupt der Al Zeins ausgereist" (in German). Spiegel.de. Retrieved 2021-01-29.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. "Das ist über die arabische Großfamilie Al-Z. bekannt" (in German). bz-berlin.de. 2016-04-12. Retrieved 2017-11-09.
  17. ""Importiertes Verbrechen": Der Pate von Berlin" (in German). Spiegel TV Magazin. 2003. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
  18. Mahmoud Al-Zein: Der Mafia-Pate regiert Berlin (in German). Spiegel TV. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
  19. From left to right: Mahmoud, Hamudi & Ali Al-Zein in December 2016. #teamalzein, Instagram Pictures
  20. Heavyweight, abuboxing.com
  21. Mohamed Al Zein, boxrec.com
  22. Boxer Hamudi will im Ring hoch hinaus, rp-online.de, 5. März 2015
  23. Mohamed Al Zein Inks Promotional With Ahmet Oner, boxingscene.com
  24. K.O.-Boxer Hamudi Al Zein im Interview, yt.com
  25. Mohamed Hassan El-Zein, inkphy.com
  26. Mohamed Hassan El-Zein, inkphy.com
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