A secret investigation into violent contract criminals and a network of "kill cars" has been revealed after an alleged murder plot at a daycare centre was disrupted.
In an escalation of Sydney's increasingly brazen gangland wars, NSW Police on Tuesday pounced on a group of men driving through Revesby in Sydney's southwest with balaclavas and pistols.
The trio were accused of trying to intercept and kill their target as he picked up a child at a daycare centre.
While announcing new arrests, police on Friday revealed they had covertly been watching contract criminals and their network of staged vehicles or "kill cars" across Sydney for some time.
A second trio were arrested on Thursday over their alleged involvement in the G7 crew, one of several groups of contract criminals using the staged cars.
Two men, aged 18 and 21, are due to face a bail court on instrument of crime, crime proceeds and gang-related charges.
A 16-year-old meanwhile is in custody accused of car theft, driving and gang charges.
Police say the raids across eight properties on Thursday netted five cars, a firearm, ammunition, AU$41,000 (NZ$46,700) in cash, GPS trackers and 37 mobile phones and dedicated encrypted criminal devices.
"The use of kill cars has emerged as a common denominator in serious and violent crimes linked to organised crime, including murders, kidnappings, and other high-risk offences," NSW Police's organised crime squad commander Peter Faux said.
"We've had enormous success targeting organised crime by following the money. Now, we're following the cars, and it's proving just as effective."
The public can help by reporting suspicious vehicles parked for long periods of time and with signs of false or tampered plates.
"That tip could be the difference between a crime prevented and a tragedy," Detective Superintendent Faux said.
Warring groups and brutal enforcement of gang members stepping out of line have triggered dozens of public shootings, murders and other violent crimes over the past year.
Innocent people have been caught in the crossfire including a mother abducted at gunpoint in front of her two sons from her Bankstown home in April, and then murdered.
A "very close associate" of her de facto husband is alleged to have orchestrated the murder.
Condell Park plumber John Versace was meanwhile executed in his driveway in May in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity.
In the latest in a spree of public, daylight shootings, former UFC fighter Suman Mokhtarian, 33, was gunned down while out for a walk on Wednesday evening.
SHARE ME