Three alleged Mongrel Mob members charged with man’s kidnapping

Three members of a street gang with links to New Zealand have been charged over their involvement in a kidnapping where a 21-year-old was held for a ransom.

Cybercrime detectives probing a criminal syndicate have charged three men after stumbling onto details about an alleged kidnapping in Bankstown earlier this year.

Police say the trio are all members of the notorious Mongrel Mob, a New Zealand-based bikie gang with a growing influence in Sydney.

Among the items seized were several gang colours, patches, a motorbike and a ute as part of sweeping dawn raids targeting the gang.

Police allege the men were involved in the kidnapping of the 21-year-old in May this year that was only uncovered by cybercrime officers in an unrelated investigation.

The man was allegedly being held for a ransom.

Saia Solofonti as he was marched from a property in Georges Hall during a dawn raid on Thursday.

Police seized a motorbike and a truck as part of their raids.

One of the men, 30-year-old Saia Solofonti, was charged over the kidnapping as well as his role in the shooting of a 35-year-old man at Merrylands on August 1.

Orlando Arama, 32, was charged take and detaining the 21-year-old man and holding him for a ransom as well as perverting the course of justice and hindering a police investigation.

Inside the properties police uncovered a trove of gang colours …

... T-shirts and even a Mongrel Mob bucket hat.

Both men are due to appear at Bankstown and Sutherland Local Court at a later date.

A 42-year-old man was also charged over the conspiracy to kidnap the man and dealing with $100,000 in proceeds of crime.

He is due to front Liverpool Local Court later this month.

It came after detectives and Strike Force Raptor officers raided four properties at Georges Hall, Bexley, Kingsgrove and Chipping Norton on Thursday morning.