Arrests over an international gun smuggling syndicate represent a breakthrough in the fight against drive-by shootings in western Sydney

Arrests over an international gun smuggling syndicate represent a breakthrough in the fight against drive-by shootings in western Sydney, NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell says. Police say they have smashed an international illegal importation ring after carrying out a series of raids in Sydney and Germany and arresting three principle figures. However, they told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday that up to 220 handguns remain unaccounted for. Advertisement: Story continues below They allege that the Glock pistols were manufactured in Austria and illegally distributed by a German firearms dealership to Australia from December last year until February. One of the guns used in a shooting in January in Wiley Park, in Sydney's south-west, was traced back to the manufacturer, sparking the international investigation. "Overnight, we've seen a significant breakthrough in relation to drive-by shootings in western Sydney," Mr O'Farrell told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday. "I think it demonstrates the confidence ... the state government has had in the efforts that (Police Commissioner) (Andrew) Scipione and his officers have been putting in over the past two-and-a-half months through Operation Spartan." On Tuesday search warrants were executed in Remscheid, Germany and 12 addresses across Sydney, including a post office and import business. Police seized 140 Glock ammunition magazines and a number of firearms that were not part of the overseas shipments. Three men aged between 21 and 30 were charged with a series of offences relating to the import syndicate. They were appearing in court on Wednesday. One of the men was a licensee of an Australia Post office and the other was attached to an import business. Police confirmed that the Glock pistol seized in January is the only one they have located of the 220 pistols they believe were imported into Sydney in the previous three months. "This isn't just a border security issue, this is a national security issue," Commissioner Andrew Scipione told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday. "It is something that we need to understand is a major concern. "Not only to law enforcement it should be to every person that lives in this nation. "Because guns coming into our community are nothing short of weapons that are used to kill and maim." Mr O'Farrell said the arrests came on top of 225 other arrests and 463 charges laid by Operation Spartan since its formation. "It's fantastic to see police getting credit for the quietly effective and sophisticated work that they are doing to crack down on drive-by shootings in western Sydney," he said. NSW Opposition Leader John Robertson said police had succeeded despite the state government's lack of action in tackling the spate of drive-by shootings. "Despite the O'Farrell government not providing enough police on our streets, and not properly resourcing our cops, they're doing a great job with the limited resources that they've got," Mr Robertson told reporters in Sydney. "We need more police in southwestern and western Sydney. "Great work by the police in difficult circumstances, where they are under resourced." Mr O'Farrell said the seizure showed how easily guns were making their way into Australia, and attacked the federal government for not doing more. "It highlights how porous our borders have been, just how easily criminals have been able to import guns from overseas into this state and into this country and it's about time the federal government acted," he told reporters. "It shouldn't be the role of NSW police to engage in border protection to stop guns coming into NSW. "This is a federal responsibility." NSW Police Minister Michael Gallacher also said it highlighted a broader issue. "Police will detail ... in the coming days the full magnitude of what they have identified, what they have stopped and quite simply had the federal government acted earlier what could have been stopped," he said.