Two men have been handed jail terms of around a decade for the "highly sophisticated" theft of 200 guns from a Perth firearms store, with most of them still to be recovered.
Ashley Christensen, 30, and James Egan, 30, were found guilty by a jury of involvement in the crime, which involved surveillance of the Claremont Firearms store in Yangebup in the weeks before.
It also involved the pre-cutting of holes in two concrete walls to gain access to the secure vault where the firearms were kept.
The holes were then disguised with tape and concrete-coloured paint, so they were not discovered.
The theft happened early on November 22, 2019, with security footage taken from the vault showing the thieves covering the camera for the 10 minutes it took to remove the weapons.
Thieves buried firearms in bushland
The firearms were then loaded into a stolen vehicle and taken to bushland where they were buried, while the vehicle was driven to another location and set on fire.
In the days that followed, most of the guns were dug up and distributed somewhere in the community.
The 40 or so handguns that were left behind, along with other paraphernalia such as holsters and gun cases, were only discovered when a bushwalker came across them and alerted police.
Today District Court Judge John Staude said while others, who have not been identified, must have been involved, Christensen and Egan had played an "instrumental role" in the success of the burglary.
"The planning and execution of the burglary was highly sophisticated," he told the men.
"You and others were working together in a joint criminal enterprise."
Guns pose 'lasting threat' to community: judge
Judge Staude said while the retail value of the firearms was about $200,000, they would have been worth much more on the black market, and those that were yet to be recovered "remained a lasting threat to public safety."
Christensen, who was represented by the former federal attorney general Christian Porter, was sentenced to 10 years in jail, while Egan was handed a nine-year term.
Both were made eligible for parole, meaning Christensen, who was also found guilty of destroying the stolen car, will have to serve eight years while Egan will spend at least seven years behind bars.
A third man, Nicholas Ronzitti, who was not involved in the burglary but helped bury the guns in bushland, was given a 12-month suspended term.
