3D gunman Drouyn Mills’ downfall: From a suicide plot thwarted by cats to high-end cash splash

A Mid-North Coast man who 3D-printed weapons to end his life was improbably saved by cats – but his lucrative weed operation that saw him buy a Mustang and a house outright ultimately brought him down.

Special police investigators arrested Drouyn Mills on May 10, 2023, seizing items from his Lukin Close, Boambee East property. Picture: NSW Police

A Mid-North Coast man who 3D-printed weapons to end his life has been jailed for his indoor cannabis farm – as details of his lavish cash splashes are revealed.

In a letter of remorse, Drouyn Mills, 46, of Boambee East said he had 3D printed guns including a 9mm parabellum calibre FGC-MKII to end his life, but they failed to work.

The apology stated that death by gun seemed to be “the most thorough and convenient means of committing suicide”.

In the meantime his mother’s timely gift of two cats to keep him company gave Mills reasons to live, the document before Coffs Harbour District Court revealed.

But upon his arrest on May 10, 2023, court documents reveal police found more than the manufactured weapons – uncovering a “sophisticated” commercial cannabis cultivation, two grow rooms and a third room for drying and packaging at his Boambee East property.

Mills at the time of his arrest at his Lukin Cl East Boambee property on May 10, 2023. Picture: NSW Police

Some of the cannabis plants cultivated at the property found in a raid by special police investigators. Picture: NSW Police

Police located 15kg of cannabis leaf and mature plants worth an estimated street value of over $190,000.

In documents before the court police showed that Mills’ accumulated assets didn’t match his modest income — these included the outright purchase of a $50,000 Mustang vehicle and a Boambee East property bought for $510,000 without a mortgage.

Special police investigators arrest Mills after the early morning sting at Boambee East in 2023. Picture: NSW Police

Police argued the financial discrepancies, and LED lights purchased in 2016 from Spectrum King USA, indicated the operation had been running since that time.

After negotiations, Mills pleaded guilty to and was convicted of cultivating a commercial quantity of cannabis in Coffs Harbour District Court on July 11.

He was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment ending on May 9, 2026 after time already served, with a non-parole period of one year, two months and 14 days.

Mills revealed to the court upon his release he wants to volunteer at the RSPCA and open boarding kennels and a cattery.

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