A 30-year-old man has been charged with over 27 serious offences following a major police bust in Melbourne’s south-east, where authorities uncovered a cache of illegal firearms—including 3D-printed weapons—drugs, ammunition, and cash.
The investigation was sparked by a tip-off in early July about a suspicious firearms transaction. Acting on this intelligence, detectives from Victoria Police executed two search warrants on Monday—one at a residential home in Bentleigh East and another at a storage unit in Cheltenham.
At the Bentleigh East address, police allegedly found over 50 items, including three conventional firearms, a semi-automatic pistol, and an imitation Colt 1911. Investigators also seized two 3D printers, 3D-printed handgun receivers, various commercially made gun parts, large quantities of ammunition, an assortment of drugs, and approximately $20,000 in cash.
Simultaneously, the Cheltenham storage facility was raided, where authorities allegedly discovered another three firearms, a 3D-printed handgun, two homemade 3D-printed revolvers, additional lower receivers, firearm components, ammunition, and a suspicious blue and white crystal substance believed to be methylamphetamine.
Fraudulent South Australian firearms licences were also located at both sites.
Detective Inspector Julie Macdonald praised the public’s involvement in the investigation. “This operation shows how critical community-supplied intelligence is,” she said. “Whether it’s industry workers or private citizens—if you see something, say something. It can always be reported anonymously.”
The accused remains in custody and is scheduled to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on October 6.
