Police swoop on 25 Darling Downs properties at close of major operation

A man who police allege ransacked his neighbours farms while they were either on holiday or visiting sick relatives has been remanded in custody and faces dozens of charges.

Rural detectives have concluded an 11 month investigation into the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment from multiple farms south of Millmerran.

Last week officers from the Major and Organised Crime Squad executed search warrants at 25 addresses across the Darling Downs, Dalby, Chinchilla and Tara areas where they recovered tools, trailers and equipment stolen during three burglaries in Kooroongarra, charging 30 people.

The recovered gear is estimated to be worth about $100,000 but it is only part of the total amount taken.

The raids came after the arrest of a 49-year-old Kooroongarra man earlier this year who police will allege was the ringleader.

Several firearms stolen for a Kooroongarra farm remain at-large despite police arresting the alleged thief.

“His MO appears to be that he comes onto a property, hooks up a trailer and loads it up with property and drives out,” Darling Downs MOCS Detective Senior Sergeant Jim Lacey said.

“He became a person of interest after he was linked to the theft of the horse float from a Dalby property earlier this year.”

The man has been charged with dozens of offences, including stealing, receiving tainted property and entering a premises and commit an indictable offence.

He is in custody and is yet to enter a plea.

The burglaries occurred on December 17, 2020, January 5 and March 5 of this year.

In each case the man and his co-accused are alleged to have entered farms near his Kooroongarra home.

The alleged thieves had enough time at properties to force entry to a gun safe at one of the properties. .

The December 17 burglary took place while the occupants were on their Christmas holiday.

The man and his co-accused are alleged to have stolen more than $50,000 worth of tools along with several trailers, two motorbikes and four rifles from the family.

They include a Stirling Model 14 .22 calibre rifle and a Centenary .303 replica rifle.

The January 5 burglary occurred while the farmers were in Toowoomba visiting a family member who suffered a stroke on Christmas Day.

While the MOCS team have recovered a large portion of the stolen gear, some of the rifles remain at-large.

“We are still looking for them,” Sgt Lacey said.

“It was fantastic to recover the stolen property because it can be very difficult to find once it is taken and disappeared into the community.”

One of the stolen trailers was used to store a tractor and while police have recovered the trailer, they are yet to find the tractor. “That farmer was ecstatic that the trailer was located,” Sgt Lacey said. The man will return to the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on November 12.

Originally published as Police swoop on 25 Darling Downs properties at close of major operation