Footage captures moment shirtless man arrested as NSW Police make first arrests in ‘Coconut Cartel’ crackdown

Two men have been arrested as part of NSW Police’s crackdown on the so-called “Coconut Cartel”. The men, aged 24 and 19, were snared by officers in separate arrests in the past week as part of a bid to crack down on violent crime linked to the group. A recent surge of alleged threats and incident sparked NSW Police to launch a new strike force targeting the syndicate - known as Strike Force Helston. The operation was launched following an incident on January 21 when a Toyota SUV was found ablaze in Randolph St in Guildford. The torched vehicle was found alongside cardboard signs referring to “Coconut Cartel”. Investigations led detectives to a property in Daceyville, where a registration plate, jerry can, replica pistol and 13 mobile phones were seized. This in turn led to the arrest of a 24-year-old man, who was taken to Maroubra Police Station. He has been charged with a string of offences - including possession of an unauthorised pistol. A second man, 19, who is alleged to be linked to the syndicate was arrested in Silverwater about 11am on Wednesday. The teenager was charged with destroying property with fire and participating in a criminal group. He was refused bail and appeared at Bail Division Local Court on Thursday.