More than two dozen phone numbers potentially linked to more than 50,000 drug customers have been shot down as part of a probe into "dial a dealer" networks.
Almost 12 months ago, NSW Police launched a strike force to target alleged criminal groups in Sydney involved in drug supply using hard-to-trace phone networks.
Investigators first targeted mobile phone retailers supplying fraudulent SIM cards before closing in on the alleged drug dealers.
In December, a 71-year-old woman was charged after detectives found fraudulent subscribed SIM cards and $60,000 cash at a mobile store in Bankstown.
A 53-year-old man was charged in January after police found SIM cards and about $58,000 cash at a Bass Hill convenience store.
Police made multiple arrests in February while identifying and recovering some of the suspected drug-runner phones from alleged dealers.
Eight phones have been seized and a total of 26 phone numbers were allegedly used by criminal syndicates to run drugs, with a combined potential customer database of 50,000 people.
Police alleged some of the phone numbers had been operating for up to 10 years.
All 26 numbers have since been shut down.
"Our mission is to completely disrupt the drug networks operating at street level across Sydney," Detective Superintendent Grant Taylor told reporters on Thursday.
"A lot of these organised crime networks have many levels of criminality and they're all interrelated with each other."
Before the phone numbers were disabled, contacts were sent a text message advising them their number was linked to an alleged drug runner.
The contacts received a text message saying: "The NSW Police Force: Strike Force Wessex has identified this number engaging with an organised crime drug supply 'dial-a-dealer' phone.
"If this continues you may be subject to further investigation.
"Cease all contact now."
Det Supt Taylor said it was one of the first times police had used technology to disable phone numbers in a bid to dismantle criminal syndicates.
"I think everyone would be shocked by just how many people are engaging these drug-run phones across Sydney and how much money is being made at street level," he said.
"A lot of these criminal networks utilise young, vulnerable individuals to hold these drug-run phones, to make a name for themselves to enter these gangs.
"This is a concern to us that a lot of those people are being used as cannon fodder by the organised crime networks, so we want to try to stop that in its tracks."
