An alleged member of the Coconut Cartel gang living overseas while being chased by authorities has shared a bizarre video of himself dancing with a gun.
Iziah Utai, 24, is believed to have been overseas since mid-2025 and is wanted by NSW Police in connection to the death of an underworld figure in May last year.
The Coconut Cartel have been locked in a bitter feud with the Alameddine syndicate to control Sydney‘s drug trade, marked by attacks in recent months, including on Utai’s father, ex-NRL star Matt Utai, who was shot near his home in February.
Despite being a fugitive, Utai doesn’t shy away from updating his social media. One post showed him firing guns at a shooting range, with the faces of three Alameddine associates on the targets, while dozens of bullets and wads of cash appear in others.
Utai’s latest social media post was on Saturday, night when he posted a clip of himself dancing to music with a pistol in one hand and a magazine of bullets in his mouth.
At one point in the video, Utai twirled the gun around on his finger while smiling at the camera.
He captioned the video ‘cheee hooo’ with a coconut emoji – the phrase is used across Polynesian cultures to express excitement or celebration.
In other clips shared to social media, Utai can be seen travelling across Saudi Arabia and most recently in Albania.
Alleged Coconut Cartel member Iziah Utai shared a video of him dancing around with a gun on Saturday
Utai had a pistol in one hand and a magazine of bullets in his mouth while dancing
He is believed to be overseas while being hunted by Australian authorities (pictured in Albania)
The post is two months on from his home in Guildford, western Sydney, getting deliberately torched in an arson attack, with a number of empty fuel cans and gas bottles found at the scene. The property had fortunately been vacant.
In February, Utai’s father, former Bulldogs player Matt, was shot twice on Macquarie Street in Greenacre in Sydney’s south-west.
Police allege an SUV drove past his home shortly before 6am on February 17 and up to five shots were fired from the vehicle.
Paramedics treated Utai at the scene for injuries to his shoulder and leg before he was rushed to St George Hospital, where he underwent surgery and survived.
Just 24 hours later, video showed gunmen – said to be associated with the Alameddine crime network – taunting the Utai clan again.
They fired 14 rounds from an automatic weapon into the walls and windows of a home in St Clair. The gunmen claimed it was the home of Iziah’s in-laws.
In the video – apparently shot by the gunmen themselves, dressed in black and wearing balaclavas – one screamed at the home: ‘F*** you and the cartel’.
In the second video, the thugs carried out an arson attack on the suspected Guildford West home of Iziah’s mother and filmed the burning property.
A house believed to belong to Iziah mother was firebombed in February
His father, former NRL premiership winner Matt Utai, was shot outside his home in February in a targeted attack
Matt Utai played eight seasons at the Canterbury Bulldogs from 2002 to 2009
A man on a video of the attack added: ‘Zat ziggy Utai … f*** him and the Coconut Cartel – this is the start of the destruction brother.’
Iziah, who has served time in prison and been found guilty of firearms, drugs and robbery charges, first attracted the attention of authorities in 2019.
He was convicted the following year of armed robbery and sentenced to an 18-month Community Corrections Order.
He later pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing a prohibited drug.
He was also found guilty in 2021 on a charge of driving with an illicit drug in his blood, and he pleaded guilty in 2023 to charges linked to firearms and drug possession.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
