A man has been arrested after a raid on a central NSW property by border force agents, NSW police and US Homeland Security.
Wednesday’s raid on the Bathurst granny flat was part of a joint investigation into alleged importation of illegal firearm parts and drug manufacturing equipment by the three agencies.
Investigators in hazmat suits were also involved in the raid after a suspicious substance was discovered inside the home.
Neighbours told the ABC they were evacuated when law enforcement officers arrived in the area early on Wednesday.
“By 8.30 we had a knock on the door saying there were suspected explosives next door and could we please evacuate,” Nichola Ingham, who lives near the property that was raided, said.
“Wouldn’t have suspected them for, really anything.
“They do get a lot of mail … a lot of parcels mainly, they’re getting two to three parcels a week which is fairly substantial for this kind of area.”
Police said Wednesday’s incident was not terror-related.
An ABF spokesman said specialist officers from the rescue and bomb disposal unit and the drug and firearms squad’s chemical operations unit were also involved in the raid.
The 36-year-old male resident of the flat was arrested and taken to Bathurst police station.
He was expected to be charged later on Wednesday over the alleged importation of firearm parts and drug manufacturing equipment into Australia from the US, Hong Kong, China, Germany and Japan.
