Daughter of a drug lord: the rise of gangland heiress Dhakota Williams

Gangland heiress Dhakota Williams is just a 17-year-old, but the daughter of slain Melbourne drug lord Carl Williams is already showing her father's rebellious spirit.

Earlier this year, Dhakota Williams sneaked into Melbourne Crown Casino's high roller room with a teen girlfriend and posed for pictures.

The casino is reportedly investigating how she breached security.

Dhakota Williams says she wanted to be a lawyer, although her mother says the gangster's daughter could be a model. Photo / Instagram

However, the casino was a frequent haunt of her criminal father and the site of her 2003 christening party.

When she snuck in earlier in the year, Dhakota tagged the photo in the inner sanctum with the words "made it".

Dhakota's mother, gangland widow Roberta Williams, says her pretty brunette daughter could be a model, but the teenager seems determined to study law.

And eight years after her father was bashed to death by another criminal in a Melbourne prison, the year 11 student is fighting authorities for a slice of her million-dollar gangland inheritance.

Dhakota and the drug lord's widow Roberta Williams are battling the seemingly indomitable Australian Taxation Office over their house, which has played a colourful part in Melbourne's underbelly wars.

The house was left to Dhakota by her drug trafficking grandfather, Carl's father George, who was a player in Melbourne's amphetamine manufacturing trade.

Dhakota was still a young girl when her father was imprisoned for four murders of Moran crime family rivals in Melbourne's notorious gangland wars.

She had been in only her second year of primary school when Carl was shot in the stomach by Jason Moran, who he later killed on his 29th birthday.

On that day, he stumbled to his parents' house on Primrose St in the northwestern Melbourne suburb of Essendon.

The gold coffin is carried away during the funeral of convicted drug trafficker and murderer Carl Williams at St Therese's Catholic Church. Photo / Getty Images

It is that house where Dhakota and her mother now live, the same house where Carl's heartbroken mother took her own life after her beloved son was jailed for life.

The house has been shot up and firebombed, and is now under order by the ATO to be sold off and the proceeds used to pay off the late George Williams' tax debt.

But Roberta Williams says the house bequeathed to Dhakota is part of a deal struck with Victorian Police for information her late husband supplied.

Secret talks between Carl Williams and police about the murders in Melbourne's bloody seven-year gang war, which ended in 2006, are believed to be linked to his jail murder.

On April 4, 2010, inmate Matthew Charles Johnson bashed Williams to death with an exercise bike part in the maximum security Acacia unit of Barwon prison, near Geelong.

Dhakota Williams, daughter of Carl Williams watches as her fathers coffin is carried away during the funeral of convicted drug trafficker and murderer Carl Williams in 2008. Photo / Getty Images

At her father's funeral, where he was buried in true gangland style in a gold coffin, Dhakota carried a teddy bear and stayed close by her mother.

Now, she posts glamorous pictures of a confident and attractive young woman enjoying life with friends.

On Instagram, Dhakota recently doubled her followers to more than 7000.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph last month, Dhakota said she wants to "become a lawyer" and her mother Roberta said Carl would be "super proud" of his daughter.

Enhanced CCTV image of Matthew Johnson behind Carl Williams before bludgeoning him to death.

Dhakota previously told Channel 7's Sunday Night program she remembered her father, who she visited in prison, with affection.

"We know our dad as our dad, not what he's described as in the newspapers," she said.

"We know him as fun and loving and caring for us, and always made us happy.

"If you spoke to him and got to know him, you'd think he's not that sort of person."

All grown up: Dhakota Williams in a recent photo. Photo / Facebook

Dhakota described her family as "normal … good people".

She said her father "did it for us".

"You can tell that he did it for his family," she said.

Roberta Williams' legal appeal on behalf of Dhakota's inheritance against the ATO is to defend a tax grab of A$740,000 (NZ$800,000) allegedly left owing by Dhakota's grandfather.

In March, the Victorian Supreme Court ruled Ms Williams had no claim to the house and made orders for it to be sold and the proceeds used to pay the debt.

Barrister, John Selimi told the court on Tuesday that the family's appeal was about enforcing the deal made between Carl and Victoria Police.

Infant Dhakota with her father, Carl. Photo / Instagram

"Carl Williams was promised his father's tax debt would be wiped off and the reason that was done was so George Williams would be capable of giving that house to Carl Williams' daughter," Mr Selimi said.

As part of the deal, police agreed to wipe George Williams' tax debt, but Carl was bashed to death inside Barwon Prison in 2010 before he could testify in court.

Victoria Police later cancelled their offer to pay George's tax debt.