Michael William Riddle sentenced after police raid finds guns, 21 cryovac bags of marijuana

A South Burnett man lost his drug harvest, pill stash and firearms collection after police busted down his door and uncovered the illegal bounty.

An Ellesmere man who was using cryovac bags to keep his bumper crop of marijuana fresh has lost it all after police raided his property, uncovering the large drug stash and collection of guns.

Police searched Michael William Riddle’s Ellesmere home in June last year, busting into his locked bedroom where they found the swag of illegal items.

Police prosecutor Lisa Manns told the Kingaroy Magistrates Court officers found 21 bags of marijuana, totalling 1.3kg of the illegal drug, as well as plastic bags and a sealer.

Sergeant Manns said a search of the shed found a Stevens 12-gauge shotgun, 15 rifle barrels, a US carbine rifle, and two boxes of shotgun shells.

The 47-year-old was slapped with more charges in November after he was pulled over by police on the Bunya Highway.

Police found two plastic canisters with four 34g bags of marijuana, a 410 calibre shotgun shell, four unnamed brown capsules in a handkerchief, and a first aid kit with a 6 gram clip-sealed bag of marijuana and a cigarette with marijuana inside, as well as six bottles of vape oil with nicotine.

Lawyer Mark Werner said his client was given opioids after he was injured at work, but turned to marijuana when he found himself becoming dependant on the prescription drugs.

Mr Werner said his client instructed the shotgun was a family heirloom left to him by his grandfather and the 15 rifle barrels were not usable.

“A couple were bent and they're old. They’re collected from old rifles, like your old 22s, that have fallen out of use,” he said.

“He was going to make a coffee table out of it and use the barrels for legs.”

Riddle pleaded guilty to 10 charges including possessing dangerous drugs, producing dangerous drugs, possessing property used in the commission of a crime, possessing category A and B weapons and ammunition, and possessing an S4 hazardous poison.

He was placed on a 12 months probation and fined $750.