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Nine men have been charged over a multi-million dollar, mafia-style drug empire smashed by police in dawn raids across Sydney and Melbourne.
Wearing bullet-proof vests, more than 200 police simultaneously raided homes in southwest Sydney and Mildura in Victoria at 6am AEDT (8am NZT) on Wednesday.
Nine men of Italian descent were arrested, ranging in age from 26 to 69, police said.
The charges ranged from manufacturing a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug to participating in a criminal group.
One of the men, aged 31, was also charged with having an unauthorised pistol and possessing stolen goods.
Police arrested "the main players" of the drug empire, terminating the activities of a highly sophisticated and dangerous criminal organisation.
"A number of those people in the hierarchical family structure were identified as the being the leaders and controlled the criminal activities of this particular group," Organised Crime Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Arthur Katsogiannis said on Wednesday.
"They were very dangerous.
"They were prepared to do anything to ensure their criminal activities and entity progress."
Det Supt Katsogiannis said police had seized millions of dollars worth of drugs, including amphetamines, steroids and precursor chemicals as well as a pill press and other drug manufacturing equipment.
Firearms and ammunition were also seized at addresses in West Hoxton, Eschol Park, Bringelly, Harrington Park, Greystanes, Macquarie Links and Macquarie Fields.
Strike Force Baranbali was established in July last year to investigate an organisation actively involved in serious drug and firearm offences.
Det Supt Katsogiannis said the family had been in operation long before then and he was surprised it had not come to the attention of the police sooner.
"Our investigations show they're very disciplined, very organised and are structural only in the fact that only certain individuals in that family controlled the criminal activities," he said.
The men arrested lived "very comfortably" through the proceeds of their activities and were connected with a number of legitimate businesses, he said.
Five of the men were refused bail and ordered to appear on Thursday at either Liverpool Local Court or Campbelltown Local Court - both in Sydney's southwest.
Two others made brief appearances on Wednesday in Liverpool Local Court and were refused bail until their appearance again on Thursday.
Another man appeared in Fairfield Local Court and will remain in custody until he appears again on March 17.
The ninth man was charged with participating in a criminal group and granted strict conditional bail until he appears in Liverpool Local Court on March 31.
Investigations are continuing and a number of people are assisting Victoria Police.
