A Kings Meadows man found with ice and unregistered guns in his car will be sentenced next week.
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Justin Lee Clark, 41, appeared in the Launceston Supreme Court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to firearms trafficking, drug trafficking and possession of unregistered and prohibited firearms.
The court heard how Clark had been intercepted by police at Brighton in March 2016 when he was driving a friend to Hobart.
Police found ice and guns hidden in the car, which the court heard belonged to the passenger and not the accused.
Crown prosecutor John Ranson told the court the ice weighed 47.8 grams, which he said had a potential street value of $47,800 if sold in half weights. The guns located in the car included an unregistered semi-automatic rifle and a loaded revolver.
Police executed a search warrant at Clark’s Kings Meadows home where they located more unregistered firearms including a luger pistol, a .22 winchester lever action rifle and an M1 carbine rifle –which the court heard was a prohibited firearm. Police also located firearms parts in the home including a silencer. As a result, Clark’s firearms licence was suspended.
Defence lawyer Grant Tucker said his client had “no idea” what his passenger planned to do with the firearms in his vehicle. Explaining the guns found in Clark’s home, Mr Tucker said he was a “firearms enthusiast” who would now need to “find another hobby”.
As for the ice, Mr Tucker said Clark was a recreational user “from time to time” and had sold ice to a small number of people in the past. However, he reiterated that the drugs found in the vehicle belonged to the passenger and not his client.
The matter was adjourned for sentencing on July 5.