Police allegedly seized numerous 3D-printed firearms during raids under Strike Force Calpe on Tuesday (4 March). Photo: NSW Police.
There is “no doubt” the guns made by a 3D-printed firearm manufacturing ring in South East NSW would have ended up in the hands of organised crime, police allege.
NSW Police have announced they allegedly dismantled an illegal firearm manufacturing ring that had been operating on the NSW/ACT border.
While police don’t yet have a figure of how many allegedly illegally made guns had been seized in their recent raids, they said it was a “significant number” and believe the firearms would have ended up on the streets.
“There is no doubt in my mind that those firearms were destined to the hands of organised crime networks,” Detective Superintendent Tim Beattie told media on Wednesday (5 March).
“They are probably manufactured firearms, they haven’t got a serial number, they are illegal, so a law-abiding citizen would not try to acquire one of these firearms.”
He said it was “terribly hard” for police to track firearms like these.
“They are made in a back shed, there is no serial number, they are made on a 3D printer,” he said.
A NSW Police spokesperson said Strike Force Calpe was established last October to investigate the manufacture and supply of privately manufactured firearms in the Monaro Police District.
On Tuesday (4 March), police raided four properties in Queanbeyan, Gundaroo and Nanima, the latter being a rural locality north of Canberra, and arrested four men.
“We will allege the group was privately manufacturing illegal firearms in NSW and supplying illegal firearms in NSW and across the border in the ACT,” Detective Superintendent Beattie said.
At one address on Crest Road in Queanbeyan, police allegedly seized four privately made firearms as well as electronic devices containing the blueprints to 3D-printed prohibited firearms.
Then at another address in Queanbeyan, police allegedly found a garage used to manufacture privately made firearms and seized multiple firearm parts, ammunition and methylamphetamines.
Police allegedly seized 27 registered firearms, more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition and 850 shotgun shells at a home in Sibley Road in Gundaroo.
Lastly, police searched a car and home near Nanima and allegedly seized a commercial quantity of cocaine and more than $26,500 in cash.
Meanwhile, ACT Policing also executed search warrants for NSW Police at a home in Gungahlin and business premises in Mitchell, Canberra.
The ACT officers allegedly seized more than $100,000 in cash as well as prohibited weapons.
The NSW Police Force’s Southern Region Operations Manager, Detective Superintendent Tim Beattie, speaks about Strike Force Calpe on Wednesday. Photo: Albert McKnight.
Detective Superintendent Beattie said the investigation had been “a long process” and that a combination of firearms had been seized, saying it was “quite a number”.
“We’ve removed a large amount of firearms that were destined for the streets of NSW and the ACT,” he said.
He said the four men arrested were all from the Queanbeyan area, all had links to each other and he alleged they formed “a criminal syndicate”.
“We believe there is a link to the organised crime network in this area and probably wider,” he said.
Detective Superintendent Beattie described the illegal manufacture of 3D-printed firearms as “a growing industry” around Australia and said police were aware of the problem.
“Obviously, the firearms are quite dangerous; they’re built to kill people,” he said.
“Anything in the hands of an organised crime network is a dangerous thing so we want to minimise that as much as we can.”
He said the investigation under Strike Force Calpe was going to continue and didn’t rule out any more arrests.
The four arrests were: a 60-year-old man and a 31-year-old man arrested at homes in Queanbeyan, a 27-year-old man in Gundaroo and a 34-year-old man in Nanima.
In total, they have been handed more than 50 charges and were all refused bail to face the Cooma Local Court on Wednesday.
Original Article published by Albert McKnight on Riotact.
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