Locals reportedly live in constant fear of the thugs, who roam around in armoured vehicles, souped-up sports cars and on quad bikes.
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The Gascoigne Estate in Barking is said to be controlled by the Hellbanianz – an Albanian street gang known for flaunting its wealth, criminal exploits and firepower on social media.
Its members regularly share photos and footage to thousands of followers on Instagram and YouTube.
One of the latest posts, a rap video for a song called Poppin Smoke which has more than 19 million views, shows songwriter Vinz performing in the site car park.
He stands atop a military vehicle brandishing what is thought to be a .50 calibre Browning machine gun, and later in a convertible being driven through the surrounding streets.
Rapper Stealth is also seen in a car with blacked out windows, being followed by a mob of motorbikes.
Both men are circled by scores of others covering their faces, pulling gun signs and letting off smoke grenades.
Daisy O’Doherty, who has lived on the estate for 20 years, told MyLondon: “It looked like something was about to go off.”
She said she had no idea they were shooting a music video and found the experience petrifying.
“My sister was staying with me at the time, she was absolutely terrified,” Daisy added.
“There were no police around reassuring people about what was going on.
“As the place is meant for demolition we get a lot of gangs around here, but this was something else.
“I was just waiting for something to happen, it was surreal.”
The film shoot is just one of a many scary encounters residents have allegedly had to face since the Hellbanianz rose to fame in 2016.
Daisy said: “You just constantly hear people in their cars or pulling up or shouting things to each other, playing music or talking really loud.
“It’s always worrying around here now, that’s just how life is, there’s so much intimidation going on.”
It’s always worrying around here now, that’s just how life is.Daisy O’Doherty
She recalled one incident when she was woken late at night by her dog barking.
A commotion outside prompted her to open her front door, and she came face-to-face with an armed cop.
“He was screaming at me to ‘get in’,” she said.
“Red [laser] dots were pointing at me – I thought they were going to take me out.
“They had stormed the block, I’ve never seen anything like it in my whole life.”
Daisy later learned the raid was part of a police operation to stop a “rent-a-gun” scheme that loaned weapons for revenge attacks. Ten people were arrested.
Other occurrences have included a broad daylight assassination attempt in June 2020, and most recently, the knifing of a 28-year-old in a gang attack on January 27, though it is unclear if the Hellbanianz were involved.
A resident in his 60s told The Express in 2018: “They think they own this place.”
Another, who sought refuge in the UK from Africa, said: “I came here for safety but am frightened to leave my home at night.”
The Hellbanianz, dubbed the Albanian Mafia, are understood to traffic millions of pounds worth of drugs into Britain each year.
They are said to be one of many groups smuggling huge shipments of cocaine into the UK from South America and northern Europe that have changed the face of the drug market.
Several members are behind bars, including leading light Tristen Asllani who was caged for 25 years after police found £6m worth of drugs and a Skorpion submachine gun fitted with a silencer.
In 2017, he posted a topless photo on Instagram from his Wandsworth prison cell insisting that the only thing he missed was “whores”.
It is understood to have been taken on a smuggled phone
Azen “Ziro” Dajçi, Fabion Kuci and Ardi Sheta are also locked up for their involvement in an armed robbery in 2020.
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