Former AFP officer allegedly manufactured machine guns, led criminal group
A former federal police officer has been charged with manufacturing a “sophisticated” arsenal of weapons, including several machine guns, and heading a criminal group accused of selling weapons to violent crime syndicates.
Police raiding a firearm and illicit drug supply network in the Illawarra region on Monday arrested Stephen James Martin, a former licensed firearms dealer who left the Australian Federal Police in 2012.
Former federal police officer Stephen James Martin allegedly led a criminal group manufacturing and supplying firearms in south-east NSW.Credit: NSW Police
Detectives from NSW Police’s Strike Force Heard and tactical police swooped on the 45-year-old, who was allegedly in possession of two privately manufactured machine guns, ammunition, balaclavas and cable ties when he was arrested in a lunchtime sting in Shellharbour. In a simultaneous raid, detectives arrested a 16-year-old boy at his Farmborough Heights home.
Police allege four loaded revolvers, three ballistic vests, a 3D printer and firearm parts including slides, barrels, triggers, magazines were found during a search of Martin’s Gerroa home.
They said they also seized thousands of rounds of ammunition for various weapons, electronic devices, mobile phones and paperwork during the search,. Firearms manufacturing stations were allegedly set up in the home.
Detective Superintendent Andrew Koutsoufis, commander of NSW Police’s Raptor Squad, said Martin was “actively involved” in supplying firearms at the time of his arrest.
Koutsoufis said Martin was the “main driver” of the alleged scheme.
Martin allegedly had two privately made machine guns in his possession when he was arrested.Credit: NSW Police
The network was “actively involved in selling highly dangerous firearms, automatic machine guns, to those involved in serious crime so you can just imagine how much safer NSW is from taking these people and these manufacturing systems out of action,” Koutsoufis said.
