Seventeen people accused of being part of a drug distribution network will face court following dawn raids across Sydney's southwest.
The group, alleged members of an importation and distribution syndicate linked to the Alameddine crime family and Comancheros bikies, are aged between 19 and 28, and were arrested in co-ordinated raids on Tuesday.
A 39-year-old man also taken into custody is in hospital.
The majority of charges concern commercial drug supply, participating in or directing a criminal group, dealing with proceeds of crime and firearm offences.
The raids were the result of a covert 10-month operation and followed a crackdown on organised crime in response to a spate of shootings that police say were predominantly linked to control of the Sydney drug market.
Director of State Crime Command Detective Chief Superintendent, Darren Bennett says there will be more "operational activity planned for this week and this month".
"So this is essentially the beginning of it," he told ABC TV on Wednesday.
"This is essentially targeting the root cause of the gangland violence we're all aware of.
"We're going to work hard on these people until they get the message that sort of violence is not acceptable."
Police Commissioner Karen Webb says she is satisfied police have "cut the head off the snake", referring to the Alamaddine network.
Taskforce Erebus was recently formed with the goal of tackling organised crime in NSW following the recent shootings.
One of its roles is to co-ordinate existing operations so police don't get in each other's way.
Police began targeting the alleged syndicate in July with the formation of Strike Force Sugarcane.
During Tuesday's raids, 36 phones were seized that police say were being used to arrange drug deals.
One had more than 700 contacts in it, and it will be alleged each phone was linked to bringing in $250,000 a week.
Mr Bennett says the seized phones provided a treasure trove of information about drug dealers' activities.
"That information will form the basis of a lot of investigations going forward.
"If you've been on those phones you can expect a knock on the door," he said.
Competition over the phones is believed to be a factor in a number of murders as dealers fought to steal or keep the devices and their lucrative client base.
Meanwhile, a 23 year old man has been arrested in relation to another shooting in southwest Sydney on Tuesday night.
Police confirmed to AAP the shooting was a separate incident unrelated to the taskforce's remit.
The man was arrested at a Greenacre service station on Wednesday evening and taken to a police station where charges are to be laid.
Officers responding to reports of gunfire at a Roselands unit block late on Tuesday found a 30 year old man who'd been shot in the hand.
He was taken to hospital in a serious condition, while two 25-year-old women were arrested at the scene and a 25-year-old man was grabbed nearby.
The women were charged with concealing a serious indictable offence and the man with custody of a knife in a public place and being armed with intent to commit an indictable offence.
