An alleged bikie is behind bars after police targeting cross-border crime arrested him during a series of raids that followed the interception of a toy dog believed to contain cocaine.
Tyler McKenna, 26, was taken into custody at a Braddon home by police officers with a NSW arrest warrant on Wednesday morning.
He was subsequently extradited from the ACT to Queanbeyan Police Station, where he was charged with supplying a commercial quantity of a prohibited drug, directing a criminal group, and two counts of supplying a prohibited drug.
McKenna, who had been on bail in relation to 13 other charges, was remanded in custody when he faced Queanbeyan Local Court on Thursday.
In a statement, NSW Police said investigations into offences allegedly committed in the ACT by McKenna, who was described as an outlaw motorcycle gang member, were ongoing and he may face further charges.
McKenna was one of four men arrested on Wednesday as a result of investigations by Strike Force Wirrinda, which was established last October.
NSW Police officers based on the South Coast formed the strike force to investigate the supply of cocaine and MDMA in the Batemans Bay area.
Their work resulted in the interception of a "Bluey" toy, containing a white powder believed to be cocaine, which was inside a package sent from Batemans Bay to a Queensland address in August.
Then, on September 6, police conducting ongoing investigations stopped a vehicle on the Federal Highway at Wollogorang.
"Officers located and seized more than 360g of MDMA, which they allege was bound for distribution on the South Coast," NSW Police said.
Further inquiries led police to raid four Batemans Bay homes, and execute search warrants in the Canberra suburbs of Braddon and Mitchell, just after 8am on Wednesday.
"During searches of the homes, police allegedly located and seized seven firearms, gel blasters, a replica handgun, ammunition, two poker machines, cannabis, about 1kg of tobacco, steroids, and a crystallised substance believed to be MDMA, as well as $1600 in cash," NSW Police said.
"Police also seized a hydraulic pill press, gunpowder and prohibited laser pointer."
As well as arresting McKenna in the ACT, police took three men into custody in Batemans Bay.
Taren Ronald Hayles, 23, was granted bail when he faced Batemans Bay Local Court on Thursday, charged with 10 offences that included manufacturing an indictable quantity of a prohibited drug.
Both he and McKenna are due to face court again in late November.
The other two men, aged 24 and 45, were granted police bail to face Batemans Bay Local Court and answer multiple charges on October 24.
The South Coast Police District crime manager, Acting Inspector Ian Griffin, said Wednesday's arrests and seizures showed officers in NSW and the ACT would use all available resources "to disrupt and prevent crime".
ACT Policing's officer in charge of criminal investigations, Detective Inspector Mark Steel, echoed those thoughts.
"The success of this operation ultimately means there are less drugs and weapons on our streets, and that can only be a good thing," he said.
