Guns and ammo: String of South East residents allegedly caught with illegal firearms
Following an illegal border bust where police seized guns and drugs, three more South East residents have been arrested and charged over alleged possession of illegal firearms.
Mount Gambier
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Limestone Coast police have seized three homemade firearms this week, leading to a string of arrests.
Penola and Millicent police searched a Nangwarry property on Wednesday leading to the arrest of a Limestone Coast man after a homemade shotgun was allegedly discovered.
A 38-year-old man was arrested and charged with aggravated possession of a prescribed firearm and breach of bail and will front the Mount Gambier Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Two South East men also fronted court this week, after police allegedly seized illegal homemade firearms and ammunition.
Ian Frances Donges, 42, appeared in the Mount Gambier Magistrates Court on Wednesday after he was arrested earlier that morning.
Police were called to his Mount Gambier property for an unrelated matter before learning a firearm was allegedly being stored at the address.
A police prosecutor told the court a homemade shotgun and 24 rounds of ammunition was found following a search of the defendant's “outhouse”.
The alleged homemade firearm made from a metal rod and firing mechanism is currently undergoing ballistics tests, which are expected to take several months, a court has heard.
Mr Donges was charged with one count of aggravated possession of a prescribed firearm without a licence and possession ammunition without a licence.
Bail was not opposed by police prosecutors, with Mr Donges ordered to appear before the court in February 2023.
Earlier this week Millicent man Simon Peter Beckett, 44, was arrested and charged with unrelated firearm offences.
Acting on a tip-off at about 1.30pm on Monday, police attended an industrial address on Princes Highway after receiving information that firearms were being stored illegally.
With the assistance of a police firearms detection dog, the address was searched and a homemade firearm and ammunition was allegedly located.
Mr Beckett was charged with aggravated possession of a restricted firearm mechanism, possession of ammunition without a licence and contravene a provision of the code of practice - Category A.
Mr Beckett was bailed and will next front court in March, 2023.
The arrest occurred after Victoria police alerted police of a Holden Captiva speeding towards the South Australian border.
Mount Gambier police saw the Holden Captiva in Orr Street just before 3am and stopped the driver.
The vehicle was subsequently searched revealing 62 grams of a crystalline substance police suspect is methamphetamine, an unregistered prescribed firearm and a hand held taser.
Dennis John Pitts, the driver, a 49-year-old Mount Gambier man, was arrested for trafficking in a controlled drug, possessing a prescribed firearm and possessing a dangerous article.
Police subsequently searched the man’s home and located another quantity of methamphetamine, numerous other items to suggest trafficking in controlled drugs, a small amount of cannabis and two unregistered gel blaster firearms.
As a result of investigations, police arrested and charged Mount Gambier man Jonathon Leigh Garrett, 37, with trafficking a controlled drug and possessing an unregistered firearm.
Mr Garrett and Mr Pitts will front court later this week.
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