Underworld figure was murdered by gunmen in the morning in the well-known suburb Bodai of Sydney, authorities said.

The police cordoned off the area where the murder was committed, in a parking lot in the commercial, bustling suburb of the megacity, not far from the beach of the same name.

The victim was 48 years old and had a “serious criminal record”. The man was found dead in his car, Danny Doherty, a police officer, told reporters.

“We believe it was a targeted attack by armed (against) a high-level figure of organized crime,” he added.

Actress and dancer Olivia Scanlan, 27, said she was “shocked” by the killing in the usually quiet suburb, popular with surfers and walkers.

“Friends visit me and say ‘Australia is a dream’. They think it is so safe, it is so different from their homelands. You can walk at night and have the impression that nothing will happen.”

Australia, a country of 25 million people, has one of the most lucrative drug markets in the world.

Street selling prices are much higher than in Europe and North America.

In 2019-2020, the most recent for which data is available, 39 tonnes of drugs were seized and police made 166,321 arrests.

Gangs, particularly motorcycle gangs, are increasingly cultivating relationships with Mexican cartels in order to import drugs, according to authorities.