A Burnie man is facing significant firearms charges after a police search uncovered an alleged illegal firearms manufacturing operation on Sunday, 21 June.
Tasmania Police said in a statement that members of Taskforce Scelus executed a search warrant at a Burnie home on Sunday afternoon. During the search, police allege they located a significant quantity of 3D-printed firearms, firearm parts, and ammunition.
The items seized allegedly included a printed firearms silencer, a sub-machine gun, and several pistols, according to the police statement. Police said a 3D printer, as well as quantities of illicit substances and drug paraphernalia, were also found at the address.
Tasmania Police confirmed that members of the Western Drugs and Firearms Unit attended the search and a 38-year-old Burnie man was arrested.
Police have since charged the man with several offences, including dealing in firearms without holding a dealer licence and unlawfully possessing a digital blueprint for the manufacture of a firearm. He has also been charged with significant firearms possession offences.
The man was detained to appear in the Burnie Magistrates Court today, Monday 22 June. It is a fundamental principle of law that any person charged with an offence is presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law.
Detective Inspector Michelle Elmer said police are committed to disrupting those involved in the manufacture and possession of illegal firearms. “This seizure has disrupted the distribution of a significant number of firearms that are not only illegal, but dangerous,” Detective Inspector Elmer said in the statement. “Firearms in the wrong hands pose a serious risk to community safety, and we will continue to remove these dangerous weapons from the community.”
Tasmania Police have stated that their investigations are ongoing.