Vietnamese police allege two men arrested over the shooting of Sydney gangster Lorenzo Lemalu were acting “under the direction of an individual abroad” when he was gunned down in Ho Chi Minh City last week.

Samoan nationals – named by Vietnam’s Ministry for Public Security as Steve Tafia and Vaa Vaa – were tracked down near the Vietnam-Cambodia border on Monday, less than 72 hours after Lemalu’s death.

The ministry said in a social media post, translated into English, on Tuesday afternoon the two suspects flew into Tan Son Nhat international airport on May 14 and “studied the modus operandi” of their targets before the May 21 shooting.

Vaa Vaa, 27. Picture: Supplied

Steve Tafia, 23. Picture: Supplied
Authorities alleged the men “initially confessed to all their criminal acts”, which “they committed … under the direction of an individual abroad”.

Lemalu, 24, and his associate Sam Sauni, 27, were shot while standing with friends outside the Cee’f restaurant on Thursday night, local time.

Lemalu was shot twice and “died on the spot”, according to Vietnamese police, while Mr Sauni was shot once and was “currently receiving intensive treatment”.

Lorenzo Lemalu was killed in the shooting. Picture: Supplied

Sam Sauni was critically injured. Picture: Supplied
The ministry said it was seeking the arrests of at least seven Vietnamese people involved in “failing to report the crime and assisting the two perpetrators in their escape”.

“Currently, the City Police are continuing to expand the investigation and will strictly and thoroughly prosecute all related individuals,” the statement said.

The two men – whose names have also been reported as Steve Tofa and Joseph Va’a – have reportedly been brought back to Ho Chi Minh City.

The ministry said the suspects were “were highly professional, extremely violent, armed with military weapons, and ready to resist arrest upon detection” as it praised the “resourcefulness, courage, and determination” of local police.

Authorities had originally reported they were hunting two Australian nationals named Lang Kenny Trong Minh Do and Justin John White.

However, it understood the alleged assassins had entered Vietnam using fake passports and names.

The men allegedly “confessed” to the crime. Picture: Vietnam TV9

They have been taken back to Ho Chi Minh City. Picture: Vietnam TV9
Lemalu, known as Renzo, headed the so-called Coconut Cartel, an underworld crew that had been locked in a war with the powerful Alameddine crime network.

He had previously been associated with high-ranking members of the network before a major conflict arose within the clan, splitting it in two.

Rumours have swirled over who ordered the hit on Lemalu, and whether it was related to the Alameddine conflict or the Coconut Cartel’s association with shadowy Asian crime syndicate The Final Crime Family.

CCTV footage of the hit showed a man wearing a cap and face mask approach Lemalu’s group outside the restaurant before shooting at close range.

Moments before the shooting as the gunman (centre, white cap) approached.
The gunman briefly pursued his target inside the venue before being seen to run across the busy street.

Video taken inside the restaurant captured Lemalu’s final moments as he collapsed and died in a kitchen area, despite the efforts of paramedics.

His gang declared war on the Alameddiens in January, with the Coconut Cartel threatening to “chalk out every Alameddine” as the streets of southwest Sydney erupted into a series of public place shootings and firebombings.

On Sunday night a man police suspect is a senior member of the cartel, the fugitive Anthony Pele, published a tribute to Lemalu – who he called “The Coconut” – on social media.

“A true warrior and a true man in my eyes,” the post read.

SOURCE: https://www.news.com.au/national/crime/two-men-arrested-over-sydney-gangster-lorenzo-lemalus-death-acted-on-orders-from-abroad/news-story/8ab80cfda396e3e61b749de16cc2242d