Notorious Sydney organised crime figure Sam Ibrahim will be returned to Lebanon via Perth following a secret Strike Force Raptor operation.

A convoy of five vehicles collected the 51-year-old brother of John Ibrahim from Long Bay Correctional Complex at dawn before he was loaded onto a plane to be flown interstate.

His visa has been cancelled under character grounds owing to his extensive criminal history.

“This is a man that’s been a blight on our community for well over 20 years,” Detective Superintendent Robert Critchlow told Jim Wilson.

“The community’s a safer place today because he’s gone.”

Neither his family nor his lawyers were told about the operation beforehand.

“There was a lot of risks around this, Jim … it was something we had to do decisively with great care and great planning.

“He’s bound for Lebanon, through a couple of stops on the way.”

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview

Image: NSW Police/Australian Border Force