A South Australian man has been arrested after 3D-printed firearms, ammunition and pyrotechnics were allegedly discovered in his luggage at Darwin Airport and at a Salisbury East address.
On 17 August 2024, a 41-year-old man from Salisbury East was found to be in possession of two 3D-printed firearms, ammunition and pyrotechnics in his checked luggage at Darwin airport. The items were seized, and the man travelled to Adelaide.
On 18 August, following a joint operation involving SAPOL's Firearms Branch and the Australian Federal Police, officers arrested and charged the man with Commonwealth offences relating to the Darwin Airport seizure. The man appeared in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court the following day and was remanded in custody.
Investigations continued at the man's Salisbury East address over the following two days. Police located a further two 3D-printed firearms, several 3D-printing machines, 3D-printed firearm parts, ammunition and more illegal pyrotechnics.
On 5 September, Firearms Branch Detectives arrested and further charged the man with a range of State-based offences, including four counts of manufacturing a firearm, two counts of possessing a firearm without a licence and contravening a provision of the code of practice.
The man will appear at the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday 16 September in relation to all charges.
Officer in Charge of the Firearms Branch Detective Superintendent Lauren Leverington said the "emergence of home-made, 3D-printed firearms continues to pose a significant threat to public safety''.
"SAPOL are committed to working with our partner agencies to proactively target and disrupt the manufacture and trafficking of illegal firearms within our community,'' Det. Supt. Leverington said.
