Valastro was a convicted armed robber and cocaine dealer.

He used machine guns in bank hold-ups and mixed with members of a syndicate of hardened armed robbers from the Flemington area which allegedly included Mark and Jason Moran, Jedd Houghton, Graeme Jensen, Gary Abdallah, Mark Militano, Victor Peirce and Santo Mercuri.

According to police Valastro was prepared to up the ante at all costs.

Despite being unemployed since his early release from jail in 1986 after serving time for two bank robberies, Valastro could somehow afford all the trappings.

One of his prize possessions was a gold Mercedes Benz.

Valastro was a prime suspect for two extremely violent armed robberies.

One was a job carried out by the "Machine Gun Gang" who fled with $50,000 after shooting and wounding two guards outside a Glen Waverley bank in May 1987.

It was like a scene from the classic heist flick Heat as three bandits armed with M-16 and M2 machineguns jumped the Armagard van and went trigger happy.

During the five-minute robbery, the machine gunners let more than sixty rounds go - into the van, into the air and around the guards' feet.

Dropping empty gun clips the bandits casually clicked full ones into their weapons and continued to strafe the street.

The spray sent bystanders and those in surrounding shops diving for cover.

To coerce the guard inside the van to throw out the money, one bandit took his gun from the head of Brian Litchfield and placed it to his foot, then pulled the trigger.

Litchfield shouted back: "You didn't have to do that, you bastard!"

On June 20, 1987, Valastro was shot dead by police.

As SOG officers were raiding his East Bentleigh home, Valastro raised a hand gun and aimed it.

In self-defence Senior Constable Michael Leslie fired a last from his shotgun that shattered Valstro's shoulder and peppered his back.

Next to the dead man's body was a gun and a knife.

Police found a stockpile of cash and cocaine when his home was searched.

Valastro's death allegedly started a pact among criminals to kill two police for every criminal gunned down.

It is believed by many that this threat was carried out in Walsh Street just over a year later.

On July 20, 2003 the Herald Sun reported that homicide detectives had dismissed claims the shotgun used to murder Jason Moran and Pasquale Barbaro in June 2003 was once in the possession of Valastro.

A source told the Herald Sun during the previous week that Valastro had the gun at the time of his death.

The source said it was likely the gun was seized by police.

But a homicide squad spokesman said in a prepared statement: ''There is no evidence, at this stage, the firearm is linked to the death of Frank Valastro.''