3 months ago
22
Most people save their credentials for their résumé, but slain underworld player Athan Boursinos carried his criminal bona fides etched on his skin for all to see.
“The souls I have taken will never haunt me, only the ones I haven’t,” a tattoo on the left side of the 21-year-old’s neck read.
Athan Boursinos was gunned down in a laneway behind his family home in Wollert on Thursday.
The quote, which was also tattooed on the chest of murdered Sydney gangster Hamad “the Executioner” Assaad, held a near prophetic meaning for Boursinos, who was gunned down in a laneway behind his family home in Melbourne’s outer north on Thursday morning. He was leaving his home to appear in court over a series of weapons, theft and driving charges.
Etched on his body were also insignias of criminal organisations from around the world.
“Omerta”, the word used to describe the code of silence of criminal groups like the mafia, was tattooed on his torso, wedged between a blade and a large cross running down his chest.
One photograph shows a teardrop outlined underneath one of Boursinos’ eyes, a symbol commonly associated with American gang and prison culture that can represent time served behind bars, acts of violence, loss or the taking of a life.
Athan Boursinos.
The baby-faced gangster also carried his heart on his sleeve – the name of his fiancee, Sanaria Rofael, was tattooed in big red capital letters on his upper arm.
A grieving Rofael took to social media on Friday to pay tribute to Boursinos, “the best soul” and “angel”, through a series of photographs and videos shared on her Instagram stories.
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“I will never stop loving you. You showed me what love was. I love you so much,” read a message on an image showing Rofael sitting on the 21-year-old’s lap. “I will see you soon. You’re the best person I have ever met with the best soul. I can’t wait to see and hold you again.”
A video shared by Rofael featuring the Lana Del Rey song Young and Beautiful showed Boursinos lifting his girlfriend and kissing her on the cheek inside a shopping centre.
“I’m sorry if I ever hurt you,” the message read. “I’m nothing without you. I love you my angel. This was our wedding song. I miss you.”
Police are yet to arrest the gunman, who fled the crime scene in Wollert in a car. Investigators found a burnt-out four-wheel-drive in a residential street in Reservoir, about 20 minutes from the site of the hit, and are investigating whether it could be a getaway car used by the shooter.
Court records show Boursinos had been in and out of court since he was charged with affray in 2022, including for possessing ammunition, several counts of theft, dealing with proceeds of crime, and being equipped to steal or cheat.
Boursinos with his fiancee.
He had also been fined and released under a community corrections order over a string of driving offences, including damaging an emergency services vehicle, unlicensed driving and forging a notice authorisation.
Boursinos had two outstanding matters before the courts at the time of his death, including theft and driving charges over separate incidents in Albert Park and Bundoora in May and June, and eight counts of possessing a drug of dependence, including prescription medications, ecstasy and testosterone.
As previously revealed by The Age, Boursinos is named in police intelligence holdings from 2022 as a member of a street crew controlled by tobacco kingpin in exile Kazem “Kaz” Hamad and his cousin, suspected major drug trafficker Ahmed Al Hamza. Both Hamad and Al Hamza are now overseas.
Boursinos was recruited in his late teens, alongside a host of other young men from Melbourne’s northern and western suburbs. However, unlike many crew members, who came from an Iraqi or Middle Eastern background, Boursinos was of Greek descent.
Boursinos with his fiancee.
The crew, which has been linked to drive-by shootings, home invasions and violent assaults, was led by Al Hamza until he was forced to flee to Dubai in 2022 after a police investigation linked him to two massive drug importations.
Hamad, whose syndicate is believed to be in control of hundreds of tobacco shops, took over the leadership of the group after his release from prison and deportation back to the Middle East in 2023.
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