Police charge 25 in major move against Sydney gun crime
Police have charged 25 people in a stunning manoeuvre against Sydney gun crime following the state’s horror wave of public place shootings.
NSW
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Police have charged 25 people in a stunning manoeuvre against Sydney gun crime following the state’s horror wave of public place shootings.
NSW recorded 33 shootings in a little over a month from the start of August, including the execution of bikie Fares Abounader in Panania and a botched hit on Turrella businessman Mohamed Saab.
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The Daily Telegraph can reveal police have responded by raiding 61 properties and cars across south west Sydney, where 12 of the latest shootings took place.
The massive operation involving five separate specialist commands yielded 13 guns, including seven pistols and a homemade firearm. They also found drugs, cash, an electronic stun device, knives, knuckle dusters, a ballistic vest, 380 false credit cards, 101 mobile phones, and bikie clubs colours which are outlawed in NSW.
In total, 25 people were charged with 42 firearm-related and other offences.
Two arrests relate to specific shootings which occurred in the areas of Fairfield and Campsie.
Among others arrested were two men, aged 28 and 22, at a home on Stella St, Fairfield Heights where police allegedly found weapons, the ballistic vest and a knife. They were each charged with firearms possession to front court on September 30.
Another man, 39, was charged following an unrelated raid on an East Hills home which allegedly revealed weapons and drugs.
He was charged with nine offences including drug supply and use prohibited weapon contrary to prohibition order and refused bail to return to court on October 28.
Nobody has been charged over the attacks on Abounader or Saab.
Many of the raids were carried out using Firearms Prohibition Orders – special legislation allowing police to raid the target of an order anytime without a warrant.
Police Minister David Elliott said the sweep by police, codenamed Operation Clampdown, was to undermine the dangerous tit-for-tat feuds which have ventilated across Sydney.
“Their reckless actions show a flagrant disregard for community safety and this Government will not tolerate this vigilante behaviour,” Mr Elliott said.
“For the past week police have sent a powerful message to any person that continues to flout the law – you can expect to be arrested and you will be put before the courts.”
At the start of this month police promised to start knocking on doors to prevent reprisal attacks for the shootings happening across Sydney.
“There’s a lot of interpersonal conflict that’s occurred, there are low level disputes occurring over drug dealing … we have seen COVID-19 putting some pressure in terms of the ability of organised crime to move illicit prohibited drugs into the state,” Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said.