Sixth man charged over suspected Sydney tobacco war kidnapping – as police seize BMW in fresh raid
A sixth man has been charged with a string of offences in relation to an early morning kidnapping in Sydney’s south-west earlier this year.
A 53-year-old man was bundled into the back of a Hyundai hatchback by four balaclava-clad men outside a tobacco shop in Mount Pritchard on February 24.
CCTV footage showed the alleged victim attempting to fight off the group as he was assaulted and dragged into the car.
NSW Police’s State Crime Command established Strike Force Martinook, with officers locating the man alive at a Dural property in the city’s north-west two days later, about 50km away.
The man was taken to hospital in a stable condition.
A teenage boy, 16, and four men have previously been charged and remain before the courts.
Following further inquiries, detectives arrested a 25-year-old man in Artarmon on Sydney’s north shore on Monday morning.
Footage of the arrest showed the handcuffed man sitting on a kerb before being escorted by detectives to a police van.
A 25-year-old man was arrested in Artarmon and charged with a string of offences
The arrest relates to an alleged kidnapping in Mount Pritchard earlier this year
He was refused bail to appear in Hornsby Local Court on Tuesday
A subsequent search warrant was executed in Holsworthy in the city’s south-west.
Police seized an allegedly stolen BMW SUV and other items relevant to their investigation.
The man was charged with multiple offences, including taking or detaining in company with intent to ransom occasioning actual bodily harm.
He is also accused of possessing a shortened firearm without authority, being carried in a conveyance taken without the owner’s consent, participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity, using a false document to obtain a financial advantage and having goods suspected of being stolen in or on premises (motor vehicle).
He was refused bail and is due to appear in Hornsby Local Court on Tuesday.
Strike Force Martinook inquiries are ongoing.
Police have previously linked the kidnapping to Sydney’s ongoing tobacco war, in which criminal groups are fighting for control of the illicit trade.
Anyone with information that may assist investigations into organised criminal activity is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
