Man Charged with Possession of Homemade Weapons and Illegal Firearm Imports
Australian Border Force officers conducted a raid on a residence after discovering that a man was importing gun parts through the mail.
A 23-year-old man from New South Wales’ Central Coast has been charged after Australian Border Force (ABF) officers detected him importing handgun parts through the international mail system.
The discovery was made last month, leading to his residence being raided by the ABF Detector Dog Unit and NSW Police officers.
During the raid, firearm parts, a revolver, a shotgun, ammunition, and documents related to homemade weapons manufacture were found. The ABF alleges that the man did not have a firearms license.
Investigators also claim that the man had previously tried to import a firearm part in November 2024.
Although the man was not present during the raid, he was later arrested by NSW Police for an unrelated breach of bail offense. ABF officers subsequently charged him with three counts of intentionally importing prohibited goods without approval.
These offenses carry a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment per offense.
Additional state-based charges were later filed, including 11 counts of possessing prohibited weapons, one count of possessing ammunition without a license, one count of failing to securely store firearms, one count of goods in custody, three counts of possessing a prohibited drug, and one count of supplying a prohibited drug.
Authorities Warn of Illicit Firearms
ABF Investigations NSW Superintendent Brett Totten highlighted the dangers of illegal firearms.
“Illicit firearms pose a serious threat to community safety,” Totten said.
“All levels of law enforcement and national security agencies need to collaborate to prevent these weapons from falling into the hands of individuals who aim to intimidate and cause harm.”
He emphasized that halting illegal firearm imports at the border is essential for reducing gun-related crimes in Australia.
“The ABF is continuously improving its border intelligence and working with international partners to gather global insights into those involved in the illicit trade of firearms and firearm parts on the dark web,” Totten stated.
“Buyer beware: any firearms or parts purchased online must pass through the border; this is where our highly skilled officers, trained dogs, x-ray technology, and expert investigators collaborate to monitor incoming items.”
Growing Concern Over Illegal Firearms
According to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), there are an estimated 260,000 illicit firearms in the Australian market.
The majority of these are longarms, with a smaller number of handguns. However, due to the clandestine nature of illegal weapon imports, the exact count is challenging to determine, and only a small percentage of traced firearms are identified as illegally imported.
