Update at 5pm: Two of the men charged after alleged armed robbery have been refused bail after appearing at Wagga Local Court today.
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Andrew Sharp, 24, and Michael Wood, 31, are set to appear at Wagga Local Court via audio-visual link on December 19 for committal mentions.
Briefs would be served to both by December 12.
Both accused did not apply for bail today.
Earlier: Three men are facing court today, charged with offences after an alleged armed robbery in Wagga.
Strike Force Edgecliffe was established by officers from the Riverina Police District to investigate a number of serious offences recently committed in the Wagga area.
On Sunday October 16, two men attended a home on Bulolo Street, Ashmont and allegedly threatened the occupants with an electronic stun device and a firearm before stealing cash and a Mitsubishi ASX.
Police later found the vehicle on Travers Street and seized for forensic examination.
Following inquiries, police stopped a vehicle on Temerloh Avenue, Tolland about 3pm on Thursday October 18 and arrested two men, aged 31.
During a search of the vehicle, officers allegedly located and seized methamphetamine.
Both men were taken to Wagga Police Station.
Later the same day, a 24-year-old man was arrested on Callaghan Street, Ashmont after a short foot pursuit and taken to Wagga Police Station.
The 24-year-old man was charged with robbery while armed with dangerous weapon, break and enter (house etc) and steal, and be carried in conveyance taken without consent of owner.
The 31-year-old man was charged with robbery while armed with dangerous weapon, and possess prohibited drug.
The other 31-year-old man was charged with two counts of drive conveyance taken without consent of owner and two counts of possess or use a prohibited weapon without permit.
Police will allege during an FPO search of the man’s home, officers located two electronic stun devices.
The trio were refused bail to appear at Wagga Local Court today.
Wagga Police Detective Inspector Darren Cloake said police believed the three men charged were “the main offenders” of a group alleged to be operating in the Wagga area for a number of months.
He alleged that the men were part of a “criminal syndicate working within the confine of Wagga and extending further into some townships like Lockhart and further into Sydney that was responsible for a number of kidnapping offences, drugs and property crimes”.
“These are offences committed in recent weeks – certainly the environments these people have been operating in have an underlying factor of drugs, mostly centered around ice,” Detective Inspector Cloake alleged.
“We do know information to suggest that some people kept against their wills days at a time and [are] seriously assaulted.
“We have been working very hard on this over the last three months when this group from out of town first brought themselves under notice in the Wagga area.”
Strike Force Edgecliffe was also alerted to a stolen Mitsubishi Triton utility parked on Peter Street on October 10.
Officers attended and spoke to two men seen nearby.
During a search of the vehicle, officers located property believed to have been stolen during a break and enter of a home at Lockhart.
The vehicle and property were seized for forensic examination.
“Our investigations into DNA testing and fingerprint testing has led to a formal identification of these offenders,” Detective Inspector Cloake said.
“In this case, we identified these males and each of them were served with firearms prohibitions.”
He said the three arrests and charges came after “adequate measures to ensure they can no longer commit further offences”.
“You can’t take your foot off the accelerator when it comes to crime in Wagga, unfortunately,” he said.
“Wagga attracts both successful people and other people who take advantage of other people’s hard work.
“If we were to address those deep-seated issues in those three-and-a-half suburbs, perhaps Wagga as a whole community would lift and improve.
“Until that happens, we will continue to face these problems as they emerge.”