George Williams was an Australian drug dealer and criminal best known as the father of Carl Williams a murderer in Melbourne’s gangland. Despite the fact that his son became one of Australia’s most famous criminals, George was intimately involved in Melbourne’s heroin trafficking during the height of the gangland wars.
For many Australians who followed the violent events that shaped Victoria’s underworld in the late 1990s and early 2000s, George Williams remains a lesser-known but significant figure operating behind the scenes.
Family and Early Life
George Williams lived in Broadmeadows which is north of Melbourne. He was married to Barbara Williams, and together they had two sons, Carl and Shane.
The family has experienced a great deal of pain throughout the years. Shane died in 1997 as a result of excessive heroin use. Barbara died in 2008, with her death reported as a heroin overdose. Carl Williams was rising through the criminal ranks in Melbourne at the same time as these events occurred.
Carl Williams’ criminal activities
George Williams’ involvement in organised crime was not limited to his son. He was directly involved in drug trafficking.
In 1999, police raided a Broadmeadows property related to him and seized over 25,000 amphetamine pills. Authorities stated George and Carl ran a huge methamphetamine distribution network throughout Melbourne.
George was sentenced to four and a half years in prison in November 2007 after admitting to drug trafficking charges. The court heard that the business made a lot of money. He was imprisoned despite his advanced age and medical conditions such as heart disease.
Relationship with Carl Williams
People were aware that George and Carl Williams worked closely together and were pals. In many criminal families, older generations avoid each other yet George openly backed his son’s actions.
Carl Williams later became involved in the Melbourne gangland killings, a series of underworld murders that shocked the entire country. George was not convicted of murder but he was a member of the same criminal network due to his involvement in drug trafficking.
After imprisonment and legal matters
In June 2009, George Williams was released on parole. George sued the Victorian government after Carl was killed at Barwon Prison in April 2010. He said that the jail personnel did not keep his son secure.
The family also struggled over financial and tax concerns that arose from previous criminal prosecutions. Some of these issues were resolved later.
George mainly avoided the public glare when he was released from jail.
Death and legacy
George Williams, 69 died in May 2016 from a heart attack at his home in Broadmeadows. His death marked the end of a family that was deeply related to one of the worst periods in Australian criminal history.
Carl Williams is undoubtedly the better-known figure but George’s role in Melbourne’s heroin trade demonstrates how familial relationships and organised crime were inextricably linked during the gangland era. His story is part of a bigger saga of Victoria’s underground, which Australians continue to explore through books, documentaries and television dramas.
Conclusion
George Williams spent the majority of his life hidden from the public eye but his ties to Melbourne’s gangland made him a pivotal figure in one of Australia’s darkest criminal chapters. His collaboration with his son Carl altered the trajectory of the Williams family and had an impact on the greater underworld.
George’s narrative helps Australians understand the family dynamics criminal networks and human tragedies that occurred behind the headlines during the gangland violence.
