Chilling kidnap kit found in Sydney ‘kill car’ raids, police allege

A kidnapping kit, stocked with a sledgehammer, baseball bat, pillowcases, gloves and gaffer tape was located in a vehicle police allege was intended to be used in Sydney underworld kidnappings and murders.

Five “kill cars” were seized on Thursday allegedly set up by young members of a gang in Sydney’s south-west working as “criminal contractors” who police allege are hired to do the “dirty work” of larger criminal groups.

Police arrested three males, aged 16, 18, 21 following a series of dramatic home arrests on Thursday morning. The men are alleged to be members of the “G7” gang, an emerging group of young men and teens. One man arrested following a raid at Oran Park in south-west Sydney has the tattoos “G” and “7” inked on his forearms.

Commander of State Crime Command’s Organised Crime Squad Superintendent Peter Faux said on Friday members of the gang were at the “lower end of the food chain” and are not loyal to any specific crime syndicate, but hired independently.

“They’re willing to do the dirty work for organised crime. Generally, they won’t have any knowledge or relationship to the intended victim. However, they’re willing to get paid money to co-ordinate and facilitate resources such as staged kill cars, weapons, and surveillance on behalf of the organised crime group, who then facilitate crimes and violence being carried out,” Faux said on Friday.

“They have the same blood on their hands as the people who inevitably carry out the act of violence.”

Faux said in some instances, criminal contractors were hired by known underworld figures who had fled abroad but still organised crimes of violence from afar.

The five seized vehicles, which were also stocked with jerrycans filled with petrol, were identified under Strike Force Flodine, established two weeks ago. Police also seized a firearm and ammunition, $41,000 in cash, GPS trackers, 37 mobile phones and other communication devices.

“Kill cars” made headlines this week when two were allegedly used in a foiled plot to assassinate a man at a Sydney day care centre pick-up on Tuesday.

The alleged “kill team” of three would-be assassins was stopped in Revesby following covert operations under Strike Force Flodine, an investigation into serious and organised crime across Sydney.

“Kill cars” are often stolen vehicles with cloned or false number plates that are set ablaze once a criminal act has been completed. They are a trademark of many Sydney shootings.

The men arrested on Thursday are not accused of involvement in the alleged day care plot.

Police arrested the 18- and 21-year-old men at a home in Oran Park, and both were charged with dealing with an instrument of crime and participating in a criminal group.

The younger man was also charged with conspiracy to commit a serious offence, and four counts of knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime with an intent to conceal.

The 21-year-old was charged with two counts of possessing or using a prohibited weapon, knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime, and using, supplying, acquiring or possessing a defaced firearm.

The 16-year-old was arrested in nearby Hinchinbrook, and was charged with driving a vehicle without a licence and other offences related to the use of the stolen “kill cars”, and participation in a criminal group.

The two adult men did not apply for bail, and it was formally refused in court on Friday. They will next appear in Campbelltown Local Court on December 3.

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