A dizzying array of explosives, high powered firearms and drugs have been found in a house in southwestern Sydney.
Police found a wild assortment of guns, including a police-grade combat shotgun and a handful of AR-15 rifles as well as a collection of six live hand grenades and a cache of drugs worth about $3m during a raid at a Glenfield home on Tuesday.
Taskforce Falcon, which has arrested 683 people and laid 1727 charges since it was established to track down and disrupt organised criminal networks in Sydney, raided the home about 9am.
“During the search police seized six grenades, three semiautomatic assault rifles, four shotguns, a pistol, firearm parts, more than 1000 rounds of ammunition, 6kg of cocaine, 1kg of methylamphetamine, 1kg of ketamine, 15kg of cannabis, 1.1kg of heroin, 107g of MDMA, electronic devices and about $9000 in cash,” police said.
A man and a woman, both 26d, were arrested at the scene.
The man was slapped with 27 different charges related to the possession and supply of the paraphernalia uncovered by police.
He was refused bail and is expected to front Campbelltown Local Court on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old woman was charged with conducting activity within a drug premises and granted bail to face a local court on August 27.
NSW Police and Counter-Terrorism Minister Yasmin Catley said it was “awful” to think about what could have happened if officers hadn’t seized the weapons before they were used.
“We do not want to see these weapons in our communities and hanks to the hard work of police, they are now out of the hands of criminals,” she said.
“Taskforce Falcon is out there every day dismantling, disrupting and preventing organised crime, targeting those who think they can threaten the safety of our communities.
“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.”
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Scott Cook said grenades and military-style weaponry had “no place in suburban Sydney”.
“The fact these items were located inside an alleged safe house shows the level of violence these groups are prepared to engage in, and the level of risk they pose to the public,” Mr Cook said.
“We will continue to target these networks relentlessly. Anyone involved in organised criminal activity should expect Taskforce Falcon to be at their door.”
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