By Cam Lucadou-Wells
TEN people have been charged, and 14 guns including some made with a 3-D printer were seized during police raids on homes in Melbourne’s south east on 11 December.
Thirteen properties with links to organised crime were raided just after 6.40am, police say.
The raids were in Noble Park North, Endeavour Hills, Narre Warren, Lyndhurst, Mulgrave, Rowville, Mount Waverley, Carrum, Carrum Downs, Wheelers Hill and Seaford.
Superintendant Amy Gledden of Victoria Police said the operation had disrupted organised crime, netting a significant quantity of ice and other drugs.
The operation had “prevented harm to the community, particularly in the Melbourne south-eastern suburbs”, Supt Gledden said.
During the raids, police also seized items stolen in burglaries as well as cash and silver bars that would have been used to fund further criminal activity, she said.
The weapons seized included firearms that had been modified, those in their original state and among the first seized by Victoria Police that had been made with a 3-D printer.
The reliability and effectiveness of the printer guns were yet to be tested by police forensic officers.
Among those charged was a 30-year-old Noble Park North man, with trafficking a commercial quantity of ice, being a prohibited person possessing a firearm and other weapons offences.
A 43-year-old Lyndhurst man was charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of ice, possessing proceeds of crime and other drug-related offences.
They and two other men were remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 12 December.
Six others were bailed to appear at Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court on 20 March, including a 26-year-old Noble Park North woman on trafficking ice and possessing GHB and a 25-year-old Noble Park North man on trafficking ice, possessing proceeds of crime and other drug offences.
A 32-year-old Lyndhurst woman was charged with possessing ice and cannabis, a 28-year-old Endeavour Hills man with trafficking ice and possessing ammunition and a 22-year-old Narre Warren woman with trafficking ice, handling stolen goods and possessing proceeds of crime.
