A man has been charged after he was allegedly caught at a Port Stephens rehabilitation centre with luxury watches - one worth an estimated $30,000 - as well as illicit drugs and cash believed to be the proceeds of crime.
Officers from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District and the Raptor North squad arrested Robert James Ayres when they conducted a Firearms Prohibition Order compliance check at Connect Global in Swan Bay at about 8.30am on Tuesday.
Police said the 41-year-old allegedly ran from the property when officers arrived at the scene - but they chased and apprehended him.
According to court documents, police allegedly seized a gold and silver Rolex watch worth about $30,000, along with an Audemars Pigeut timepiece.
They also allegedly found Mr Ayres in possession of 134 pregabalin and eight quetiapine fumarate tablets - the former a painkiller and the latter a drug used for mental health conditions.
Detectives also found about $14,000 cash, which they believe to be the proceeds of crime.
Mr Ayres was charged with two counts of having suspected stolen goods, recklessly dealing with the proceeds of crime worth more than $5000, and possessing a prescribed restricted substance.
He was already on bail for a string of drug supply and stolen property charges when he was arrested on Tuesday.
Mr Ayres did not appear when his matters were briefly mentioned in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday.
The court heard he planned to apply for bail when the charges are mentioned in court again on Thursday.
