Western Sydney raids: Counter terror police arrest seven men for drug, gun supply

Counter-terrorism police have arrested seven men over the alleged supply of cocaine and firearms and ripped $1.5 million in cash out of a wall in a western Sydney home.

Counter-terrorism police have arrested seven men over the alleged supply of cocaine and firearms and ripped $1.5 million in cash out of a wall in a Western Sydney home.

NSW Police with help from Australian Federal Police agents, ASIO and the NSW Crime Commission raided 11 properties across Sydney yesterday.

Eight firearms, 11kg of cocaine and $2 million cash was seized have now been seized by the investigation codenamed Operation Veerle.

Counter-terrorism police have arrested seven men.

Eight firearms, 11kg of cocaine and $2 million cash was seized in raids.

Seven men were arrested at Bexley, Bass Hill, Yagoona, Picnic Point, Kingsgrove and Punchbowl. Six of them are expected to front court in Bankstown and Burwood today.

“These are people that I’d suggest have never submitted a tax return and they’re driving around in brand new Range Rovers, so they are people that society and our community would expect us to target,” NSW Police assistant commissioner Mark Walton said.

The Daily Telegraph understands the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team was investigating a target for suspected access to guns when they came across one of the seven men arrested yesterday.

Cash allegedly seized in the police raids.

Items allegedly seized in the raids.

Further investigation into that individual’s dealings led them to the major alleged syndicate brought down yesterday. There is no counter-terrorism link to the those men.

It is understood the original target of the investigation has since been jailed on separate charges.

Mr Walton said although the men arrested did not have extremist views and were not accused of any involvement in terrorism, firearms on the street were always a threat.

“Clearly here in NSW we’ve had a history with two successful terrorism attacks that have used firearms to murder people in the execution of those terror attack,” Mr Walton said.

“We will continue to target illicit firearms here in NSW as a method of disrupting acts of terror.”

Cash allegedly seized by police.

A firearm allegedly seized by police.

He said some of the firearms seized predated the Howard-era gun buyback and others had been recently obtained.

Police found around $1.5 million of the seized cash hidden inside a wall of a home in Bass Hill.