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Grenades, military-grade weapons, more than 1000 rounds of ammunition and $3 million worth of drugs were uncovered in an alleged Sydney safehouse when the state’s anti-gang detectives raided the suburban property on Tuesday, raising renewed concerns about the spread of firearms in the city months after gun reforms passed the parliament.
Taskforce Falcon detectives raided the Glenfield property on Tuesday morning, where they discovered six grenades, three semi-automatic weapons, four shotguns and a pistol. Six kilograms of cocaine, 15 kilograms of cannabis, 1.1 kilograms of heroin, 107 grams of MDMA, a kilogram of ketamine and $9000 in cash were also seized.
A 26-year-old man, dressed in black track pants and T-shirt, was led from the property in handcuffs, clutching a gold vape in his hand, before being taken to Campbelltown Police Station in a police truck.
He was charged with a range of offences, including possessing a dangerous weapon with intent to injure, possessing more than three unregistered firearms without a licence, three counts of supplying a drug greater than a commercial quantity, and knowingly deal with proceeds of crime. The man was refused bail to appear at Campbelltown Local Court on Wednesday.
A 26-year-old woman, led from the alleged safehouse by a plain-clothed police officer, was charged with organising, conducting and assisting at a drug premises, and was bailed ahead of a court appearance in Campbelltown next month.
NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley said it was “awful to think what could have happened” if detectives failed to seize the weapons from the alleged safehouse.
“We do not want to see these weapons in our communities and thanks to the hard work of police, they are now out of the hands of criminals,” Catley said.
“To anyone thinking of taking part in this alleged vicious criminality, our message is: be prepared to spend a long time in a small cell.”
The state government rushed through gun reforms on Christmas Eve last year, less than two weeks after gunmen shot dead 15 people celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach.
The new laws implemented new limits on the number of firearms an individual can own – four, or 10 for farmers and sporting shooters – and also sought to strengthen firearms licence checks and oversight mechanisms.
Assistant Commissioner Scott Cook, State Crime Commander, said the grenades and firearms discovered in the raid on the Glenfield property “have no place in suburban Sydney”.
“The fact these items were located inside an alleged safehouse shows the level of violence these groups are prepared to engage in, and the level of risk they pose to the public,” Cook said.
“We will continue to target these networks relentlessly.”
Taskforce Falcon was launched by NSW Police in May last year to crush simmering gangland conflicts across the city’s streets. It has been responsible for 683 arrests leading to more than 1700 charges.
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Daniel Lo Surdo is a breaking news reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He previously helmed the national news live blog for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.From our partners
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