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Sex shop owner linked to gangland war |
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MURDERED mafia mobster Mario Condello bought an arsenal of guns from an Adelaide sex-shop owner during the height of Melbourne's underworld war, a court has been told. Adelaide porn king Bill Nash was introduced to a Condello associate by former Melbourne gun dealer George Joseph. Joseph was convicted in 1984 of conspiring to kill anti-drug campaigner Donald Mackay, whose death was ordered by the Calabrian mafia. Mr Mackay was murdered in Griffith, New South Wales, in 1977. Joseph provided the weapon used to shoot Mr Mackay and was jailed for seven years. Documents before the District Court in Adelaide reveal Joseph introduced Nash to the Condello associate about five years ago. That gang member bought guns for Condello from Nash.
The Condello gang member later became an informer for the Australian Crime Commission and Victoria Police. Nash, 62, has admitted providing the weapons and is awaiting sentencing. The Advertiser has seen details of secretly taped conversations in which Condello organised to buy dozens of guns and silencers from Nash. Condello's purchases included an Uzi 9mm sub-machinegun, a Colt .357 Magnum, a Bentley 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, several semi-automatic pistols and ammunition for them. There were several gangland murders in the nine months after Condello took delivery of the first batch of firearms in March, 2003. Nash owns two of South Australia's biggest sex shops, has been a judge in the Miss Nude Australia competition for several years and used to operate brothels. The Condello gang informant, identified only as Mr X in court, told the ACC he bought 15 guns from Nash for Condello and later arranged for an undercover ACC agent to buy nine more. Nash's plea hearing yesterday was adjourned to October 11 |
