Police have arrested 45 people - including a man in the Hunter - and seized eight firearms, a hydraulic press and more than 20kg of MDMA and other prohibited drugs, during statewide raids targeting organised crime under Operation Hawk this week.
Operation Hawk was set up last October to disrupt organised crime networks in Sydney.
Officers from the Hunter Valley Proactive Crime Team and the Northern Region Support Group executed a Firearm Prohibition Order at a home on Seventh Street at Weston on Wednesday.
The occupant of the home, a 49-year-old man who is allegedly a member of the Life and Death outlaw motorcycle group, was taken to hospital due to a medical episode.
During the search of the premises, police allegedly found a significant quantity of cannabis and declared a crime scene, before later executing a search warrant and seizing two rifles, a .22 calibre pistol, 350 rounds of ammunition, five gel blasters, an electronic stun device, almost 150 grams of methylamphetamine, 2kg of cannabis, $8300 cash, and other items.
Upon his release from hospital, the man was taken to Cessnock Police Station and charged with 33 counts, including supplying a prohibited drug, participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity, knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime, and 28 firearm-related offences.
He remains in custody and will face Cessnock Local Court on June 15.
Since Operation Hawk began, police have seized more than 80 firearms, 3300 rounds of ammunition, $2.8 million cash, and prohibited drugs with a combined estimated street value of more than $9 million.
Detective Superintendent Jason Weinstein said the operation followed the success of its predecessor, but with a renewed focus on regional areas.
"This week we've succeeded in demobilising a significant drug supply syndicate operating from Sydney's south-west, but also know the tentacles of illicit activity stretch far beyond our cities," he said.
"NSW attracts around 40 per cent of Australia's national organised crime population - many of whom attempt to evade the attention of police by operating outside of the Sydney metropolitan area.
"These arrests send a clear message to anyone involved in organised crime: that we are aware of your illicit activities and will hold you accountable irrespective of your location."
