Two sports cars worth more than $1 million are among property and designer accessories seized during an investigation into unexplained wealth.
The joint police and NSW Crime Commission operation followed the introduction of tough proceeds-of-crime laws, which effectively forced alleged criminals to prove items were not bought with ill-gotten gains.
Officers on Thursday raided a number of properties in Sydney’s inner west and southwest, taking cars and items worth a combined $7 million, after an investigation into gangs operating in Sydney’s west.
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At one Padstow property, police seized more than a dozen luxury handbags from brands including Hermes, Chanel and Louis Vuitton, as well as several designer “man bags” and high-end watches.
A 2021 Lamborghini Aventador sports car — worth about $1 million — was taken from a property at Drummoyne, while a 2018 McLaren coupe was seized at Bankstown, along with other cars.
Police also found gold bullion worth an estimated $80,000 at Yagoona.
Electronic devices and documents were seized for further examination.
The NSW government earlier this year passed laws that allowed police to more easily seize assets reasonably suspected to be the proceeds of crime.
Those regulations effectively reversed the onus on alleged gangland bosses, who would need to prove the property was bought using legitimate earnings.
Police do not need to charge suspects with a specific offence in order to seize property or freeze other assets.
NSW Organise Crime Squad commander Peter Faux said the new powers meant police could come down harder on organised criminals.
“The big players tend to enjoy the wealth while keeping their heads down and their hands clean, but now we have the authority to put them before a court to show us how they made their money — something many of them will struggle to do,” he said on Friday.