A 33-year-old Melbourne man has been sentenced to seven years in prison, with a non-parole period of four years and nine months, for a series of offences including drug trafficking and possessing an unregistered loaded firearm.
The County Court of Victoria handed down the sentence on 4 February 2025 after the man pleaded guilty to five charges.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Rick Briggs said the case highlighted the dangers of illicit firearms and drugs in the community.
“AFP officers discovered this illegal loaded firearm in a room where children played, which is disturbing to say the least,” he said.
“This could have been a very different and tragic outcome if a child had found it. The seizure of the money also prevents further criminal activity and makes crime less financially lucrative.”
Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers executed a search warrant at the man’s home on 23 June 2023, uncovering a handgun hidden inside an ottoman in a children’s playroom. Officers also seized approximately 2.5kg of cocaine, 700 grams of MDMA, more than $200,000 in cash, and multiple electronic devices.
The man, allegedly linked to an outlaw motorcycle gang, was charged with and later pleaded guilty to:
- Trafficking a commercial quantity of cocaine
- Trafficking a commercial quantity of MDMA
- Dealing with more than $100,000 in suspected proceeds of crime
- Possessing an unregistered general category handgun
- Failing to comply with a legal order under the Crimes Act
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