Over 30 arrested, drugs seized in Sydney police crackdown on crime syndicates

Sydney (The Uttam Hindu): A Sydney police task force targeting organised crime syndicates has arrested 33 people and seized drugs worth millions of US dollars. Police in the state of New South Wales (NSW) on Friday said that 33 people had been charged by detectives from Task Force Lupin since it was secretly established in July to address an escalating conflict between organised crime networks hailing from Asia.

In addition to the arrests, police seized prohibited drugs worth more than 10 million Australian dollars (6.2 million US dollars) as well as 600,000 Australian dollars (372,000 dollars) in cash, seven firearms and more than 20 dedicated encrypted criminal communication devices. Detectives executed over 35 search warrants and identified three clandestine methamphetamine labs, two in western Sydney and one in the remote town of Mollyan over 300 kilometers northwest of the city.

Detective Superintendent Peter Faux, commander of the NSW Police organized crime squad, said the task force worked tirelessly and covertly for six months, Xinhua news agency reported. "Our covert task force's efforts have culminated in a major breakthrough against organized crime hailing from Asia in southwest Sydney, with over 30 arrests made," he said in a statement. "These were dangerous criminals capable of violent crime and the message today is simple: there is no place for this sort of violence on our streets."

In one June incident, police said that eight men wearing face coverings forced entry into a house in southwest Sydney before shooting the occupant and pouring petrol through the home. Five people were arrested and charged over the shooting, including a 25-year-old man who was also charged over another shooting earlier in June. A 37-year-old man who was arrested on Thursday has been charged with 19 offences relating to the supply of commercial quantities of drugs and firearm possession. NSW Police said it would be alleged in court that he was a major player responsible for drug supply in one of the syndicates.