By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A 27-year-old Cranbourne man has been charged after drugs, pre-cursor chemicals, guns and explosives were allegedly seized by police in raids in the South East on 6 April.
The man faces up to 27 charges such as possessing seven unregistered handguns, six unregistered longarms, a stolen police uniform, 35 sets of body armour, a taser and gelignite.
Clandestine Laboratory Squad detectives also charged the man with trafficking a large commercial quantity of LSD, trafficking ecstasy (MDMA), trafficking firearms and possessing two pill presses and a prescribed precursor chemical.
Police allegedly seized five tonnes of the precursor chemical, methylamine, from one of the raided addresses.
The man – whose name has been suppressed by Melbourne Magistrates’ Court – was refused bail in a hearing on 7 April.
Magistrate Susan Wakeling noted the offer of a $13,000 surety and the man having strong ties to the jurisdiction and no prior convictions.
But this failed to establish “exceptional circumstances” for the man’s release, in light of the serious alleged offences and “reasonably strong” prosecution case.
He was remanded to appear at a committal mention in July.
