Tasmania Police has charged eleven people with a range of drug, firearms, stealing and burglary offences following the conclusion of a targeted three week operation addressing illicit firearms and associated criminal activity within the Southern District.

Detective Inspector Mark Burke said the intelligence driven operation involved police from both CIB and uniform areas, as well as various specialist resources.

Across the duration of the operation, police executed fourteen search warrants and as a result, investigators located and seized:

• Seven illegal firearms, including stolen, 3D printed and homemade firearms
• Twenty six firearms relating to storage offences
• Trafficable quantities of MDMA
• Various quantities of methylamphetamine and cannabis
• Various quantities of illegal ammunition
• Various quantities of stolen property
• Three stolen motor vehicles

“These results demonstrate how strongly Tasmania Police is committed to disrupting firearm related harm,” Detective Inspector Burke said.

“Illegal firearms and the criminal activity that surrounds them present a very real risk to community safety. The work undertaken throughout this operation has removed dangerous weapons and harmful drugs from circulation.”

“This was a coordinated and sustained effort by investigators and specialist units across the Southern District.”

“Their collective work has disrupted what police will allege is multiple offenders engaged in high risk behaviour, including drug trafficking, firearm offending and other crime.”

Detective Inspector Burke said the variety of charges laid reflected the interconnected nature of the criminal activity identified during the operation.

“Firearm crime does not occur in isolation. What we are seeing here is a clear link to drug trafficking, stolen property and other serious offending. Targeted operations like this are key to preventing harm and holding offenders to account.”

“The charges laid include trafficking in a controlled substance, dealing with the proceeds of crime, assault police, dealing in firearms while not the holder of a firearms dealer licence, burglary, stealing and possession of stolen property.”