Sydney’s West Turns into War Zone: Six Arrested, Firearms and Explosives Seized in Daring Raids
- Six people, including two teenagers, charged over alleged involvement in violent crimes and firearms offences
- Raptor Squad officers seize loaded firearms, cloned number plates, and encrypted communication devices in dramatic raids
- Police believe group was planning further serious acts involving firearms, with youths being recruited into organised crime
In a shocking crackdown on organised crime, six people, including two teenagers, have been arrested and charged over their alleged involvement in a string of violent crimes and firearms offences in Sydney’s west.
The arrests came after Raptor Squad officers intercepted a vehicle allegedly carrying loaded firearms in Old Toongabbie on Monday, sparking a series of dramatic raids that uncovered a cache of explosives, cloned number plates, and encrypted communication devices.
“The earlier 19-year-old man who was charged on 9 December and the man charged yesterday were actually the people who shot at the premises,” Detective Acting Superintendent Brad Abdy, commander of the Raptor Squad, revealed. “They smashed into the door with a sledgehammer, threw a flashbang grenade into those premises, and then discharged further shots from the front lawn.”
The investigation, part of Strike Force Calvin, has been ongoing since November, when a public shooting occurred in Tallawong. Police believe the group was planning further serious acts involving firearms, with Superintendent Abdy warning that youths were being recruited into organised crime.
During the raids, police seized two loaded firearms, cloned number plates, and a Dedicated Encrypted Criminal Communication Device (DECCD). A 20-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy were arrested after their taxi was stopped, with the 20-year-old receiving treatment for minor injuries at Westmead Hospital.
Later that morning, a 25-year-old man was arrested on Mountford Ave, Guildford, and charged with participating in a criminal group. Police seized two mobile phones, one believed to be a DECCD.
As the investigation continued, strike force detectives located four allegedly stolen vehicles at a house in Rouse Hill, where 18-year-old Leonaitasi Havili was allegedly seen leaving the Maneroo St address briefly before reentering.
Three occupants – including Mr Havili, a 23-year-old, and a 17-year-old boy – ran from the property but were arrested nearby after a short foot pursuit. The alleged offences were described as a “very serious matter” by a magistrate during Mr Havili’s bail hearing on Tuesday.
“Bail must be refused in this matter,” the magistrate said. “It is a strong case, he is found at the location where numerous firearms are located.”
During a search of the Rouse Hill property, police seized five firearms, thousands of rounds of high-calibre ammunition, multiple fake number plates, two ballistic vests with Queensland Police Service printed on them, a bolt action pistol and a silencer, pistol conversion kits, magazines, cartridges, and several sets of cloned registrations.
Superintendent Abdy said the weapons seized included semi-automatic pistols and revolvers, often used in organised crime-related murders. All six people face multiple firearms and criminal group offences.
“This seizure certainly hinders that group and dismantles that criminal syndicate,” Superintendent Abdy said, noting that the group was not directly affiliated with any known criminal organisation but appeared to operate as a contracted team carrying out offences on behalf of others.