Police have charged 34 people, seized eight firearms, and executed 17 Firearm Prohibition Order compliance checks during a four-day deployment to the South Coast aimed at targeting regional crime.
State Crime Command’s Bateman’s Bay ‘surge’ deployment was a multifaceted operation, led by the Raptor Squad, in a bid to target and prevent crime in the Batemans Bay area and surrounds.
The operation ran between Monday 18 March 2024 and Thursday 21 March 2024 and involved the deployment of over 60 officers attached to State Crime Command, who travelled to Bateman’s Bay to work in collaboration with South Coast Police District and specialised resources, including Pol Air, Traffic & Highway Patrol and the NSW Crime Commission.
During the four-day operation, officers completed over 360 random breath and drug tests, issued 64 infringement notices, seized $14,240 cash, eight firearms, and $246,547 worth of drugs.
Incidents of note include:
– About 7am on Tuesday 19 March 2024, police executed a search warrant at an address in Surf Beach where they arrested a 60-year-old woman and 36-year-old man. During a search of the property detectives located and seized cannabis and $10,000 cash. The pair were taken to Batemans Bay Police Station where the woman was charged with four counts of supply prohibited drug indictable & $5000 and possess prohibited drug. Both were refused bail and appeared before Batemans Bay Local Court the same day.
– About 6.30am on Tuesday 19 March 2024, police executed a search warrant at an address in Surf Beach where they arrested a 34-year-old man. The man was taken to hospital for assessment, before being taken to Batemans Bay Police Station where he was charged with seven counts of supply prohibited drug >small &
– About 7.50am on Tuesday 19 March 2024, police executed a search warrant at an address in Benandarah where they arrested a 42-year-old woman. She was taken to Batemans Bay Police Station where she was charged with supply firearm to person unauthorised to possess it, supply, give ammunition to person not authorised etc, possess ammunition with out holding licence/permit/authority and cultivate prohibited plant
– About 8.45am on Tuesday 19 March 2024, police executed a search warrant in Batemans Bay where they arrested a 33-year-old man. The man was taken to Batemans Bay Police Station where he was charged with supply prohibited drug >indictable &
– About 9am on Tuesday 19 March 2024 police executed a search warrant in Surf Beach where they arrested a 20-year-old man. He was taken to Batemans Bay Police Station where he was charged with take part supply prohibited drug
Anyone with information that may assist investigators is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.
