Rose Tattoo drummer arrested in alleged gun syndicate

The drummer from iconic rock band Rose Tattoo has been arrested alongside former bikie boss Sam Ibrahim as police smashed an alleged family-run weapons sales syndicate in NSW.

An M1 military assault rifle has been seized along with 17 other guns in a series of police raids.

The three people arrested on Tuesday were former bikie boss Sam Ibrahim, the brother of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim.

Sam Ibrahim's younger sister Maha Sayour was also arrested, as was Paul DeMarco, 55, the drummer from rock band Rose Tattoo.

Mr DeMarco was listed to appear at Blacktown Local Court on Tuesday.

An undercover detective infiltrated the alleged syndicate in October and bought 13 guns.

The weapons are being examined to see if they were used in any of the hundreds of shootings in Sydney over the past three years.

As part of the same investigation, dozens of police raided six properties in western Sydney and in Warilla, south of Wollongong, early on Tuesday morning and seized five more guns.

Heavily armed officers from the tactical operations unit arrested a 55-year-old man from Windsor, in Sydney's northwest.

A brother and sister, aged 45 and 43 respectively, were arrested in Greystanes and Wentworthville in the city's west.

The trio are due to appear in Sydney courts on Tuesday and Assistant Commissioner Denis Clifford said it would be alleged they were "significant players" in an organised syndicate selling illegal firearms in western Sydney.

"When you look at some of the guns, you shake your head and wonder what that firepower would do if it got into the wrong hands," Mr Clifford said.

"This will no doubt put a significant dent in the organised sale of illegal firearms in western Sydney but we're sure there's a lot more out there."

The guns were all bought in western Sydney, though police believe the alleged sales syndicate also operated in the Illawarra region.

The M1 assault rifle is a military-issued gun and cannot be legally bought by licensed gun owners.

Other guns seized include semi-automatic pistols and shotguns, along with hundreds of bullets.

Despite the hundreds of shootings in the past three years, there have been relatively few fatalities, though many of the incidents have been brazen and innocent people have been caught up in the violence.

A 62-year-old man, believed to be an innocent bystander, was shot in the chest at Merrylands last week and remains in critical condition.