Brief

Teen drone pilot charged with second murder plot linked to Sydney underworld

Jimmy Schulz, 18, is charged with conspiring to murder a man linked to the Haouchar crime family after police say he used a drone to surveil the target.

By Felo News Desk · Published Tue, 29 Sep 2026 07:35:06 GMT

Jimmy Schulz, 18, was arrested on 11 September in Sydney and charged with a second alleged murder conspiracy linked to the Haouchar crime family. Police say Schulz used a drone to conduct surveillance of a man living near the south‑west Sydney home of an underworld figure, after a prior incident involving a drone‑related shooting on 2 September.

Prior drone incident

Schulz was first charged earlier in September after a drone he flew was used in the mistaken‑identity shooting of Joshua Macdonald, 40, on 2 September. Police allege the drone was part of a broader plot to kill Macdonald, who was killed in a shooting at Merrylands West.

New conspiracy charge

According to NSW Police, Schulz was conducting drone surveillance on the day of his arrest. He faces charges of conspiring and agreeing to murder any person, participating in a criminal group, possessing an encrypted criminal communication device, and failing to operate an unmanned aircraft within visual line of sight.

Associated arrests

Schulz was arrested alongside 19‑year‑old Ratu Viliame James Koroitamana, who was charged with driving while disqualified and participating in a criminal group. A 28‑year‑old former PE teacher, Ashleigh Ann Seeney, was also charged in relation to the same plot for allegedly relaying police movement information.

Police statements

Detective Superintendent Jason Box said the alleged murder plot targeted a man living nearby and that the target had been warned about the threat to his life. Box added that the target had been spoken to numerous times about his connections with organised crime.

Context within organised crime

Police say the plot stems from an internal dispute within the Haouchar crime family, which once controlled a billion‑dollar drug, gun and tobacco trafficking syndicate. Bilal Haouchar, the family’s former commander, remains wanted by NSW Police and is jailed in Lebanon.

Key facts

Jimmy Schulz, 18, was charged with a second murder conspiracy linked to the Haouchar crime family (smh.com.au)
Schulz was previously charged after a drone was used in a shooting that killed Joshua Macdonald on 2 September (smh.com.au)
Police allege Schulz conducted drone surveillance of a target living near a south‑west Sydney underworld figure (smh.com.au)
Ratu Viliame James Koroitamana, 19, was arrested with Schulz and charged with driving while disqualified and participating in a criminal group (smh.com.au)
Ashleigh Ann Seeney, 28, was charged for allegedly relaying police movement information to Schulz and Koroitamana (smh.com.au)
Detective Superintendent Jason Box said the target had been warned about the threat to his life (smh.com.au)

Background

The case follows a prior drone‑related shooting that killed Joshua Macdonald in Merrylands West on 2 September. Schulz had been charged earlier in September for that incident. The new charge adds a separate alleged murder plot involving a Haouchar crime family member, highlighting ongoing police efforts to disrupt organised crime in Sydney.