As part of Operation Oscar Quantum, police have located three clandestine laboratories and a large scale weapons production facility, including four fully automatic sub machine guns, silencers and drugs during Gold Coast raids, Queensland Police say.
On Friday officers from the Drug and Serious Crime Group with assistance from Taskforce Maxima and Gold Coast police and the Australian Border Force, executed search warrants on four residential properties (Oxenford, Maudsland, Broadbeach Waters and Robina) and two business premises located at Nerang.
In the Lawrence Drive, Nerang business police located a clandestine laboratory including a commercial pill press. Also located was an illicit weapons manufacturing facility containing equipment used in the production of fully automatic machine guns, including a 3D printer, lathes, drill presses and other tools. Police also located four homemade machine guns, three silencers, computer equipment, ammunition, magazines, a taser, drugs and other gun parts.
In the Hilldon Court, Nerang business police located a large clandestine laboratory (capable of producing commercial quantities of methylamphetamine), a replica handgun, a 45 calibre pistol, an air rifle, steroids, ammunition and pharmaceutical drugs.
During the search of the residential properties police located cannabis, GBH, steroids, a flick knife and amphetamines.
Five people have been charged including:
- Two men, aged 20 and 22 from Oxenford both charged with one count of produce dangerous drug and six counts of possess dangerous drugs.
"The closure of this operation is a testament to good solid police work, including the use of a number of strategies to identify the extent of this network and to locate the offenders. We believe we have closed down a relatively sophisticated drug and firearms trafficking network distributing large quantities of methylamphetamine across the Gold Coast.
"The weapons seized are yet to be tested however weapons of this type have the capacity to fire hundreds of rounds of ammunition a minute. In the wrong hands they present as a significant threat to the public," Detective Superintendent Jon Wacker of the Drug and Serious Crime Group, State Crime Command said.
Queensland Police will continue working closely with the ABF regarding the seized weapons and other items, which may result in ABF laying charges for offences against Commonwealth border laws.
ABF Commander Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Anthony Seebach, said this is a clear example of how Australia’s law enforcement agencies are working together to prevent criminal activity that poses a real risk to our community.
Anyone with information which could assist with this matter should contact Crime Stoppers anonymously.
