A man has been charged after police swarmed on two rural properties, seizing 21 illegal firearms, stolen items, and a quantity of cannabis.
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The raids on Pateena Road at Longford were driven by the Northern-based firearms taskforce, which has been targeting illegal guns over the past few months.
Police from Launceston CIB, the uniform division, search and rescue, and the state's Crime and Intelligence Command joined the taskforce in searching the properties for roughly 30 hours late last week.
Officers were also assisted by volunteers from the State Emergency Service, drone operators, as well as Tasmania Police's firearms and explosives dog Quinn, and drug dog Fang, as they searched bushland surrounding the properties.
The extensive searches uncovered pistols, rifles, semi-automatic weapons, ammunition, and explosive devices, as well as four hidden bunkers, including an underground hydroponic cannabis setup.
"We found guns in multiple residences, we found them behind doors, we found them in false flooring, we found them in false walls, we found them in the bush, we found them in containers," Detective Inspector Craig Fox said.
"Anyone that is going to go the extent of hiding a bunker on a property or in a house is going to make it fairly well-concealed, but we are well trained, we go under floors, in walls, in the roof."
On Tuesday evening a 40-year-old Longford man was arrested and charged with firearms offences, unlawful possession of property, and possessing a controlled plant.
It was understood the man lived at one of the properties where the searches took place.
He was bailed to appear in the Launceston Magistrates Court on August 18.
The raids came alongside two new shooting incidents in Launceston on Friday, with at least 15 gun-related crimes now recorded in the region this year.
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Police were called to a house in New Street at Invermay about 1am Friday, after a gun was fired through a bedroom window. The shooter threatened two people inside, before stealing a small amount of property.
The second-latest incident came just three hours later, when a shot was fired through the front lounge room window of a home on St Leonards Road, at St Leonards.
A small white vehicle was seen leaving the area.
The residents of both homes that were shot at were not physically injured during the incidents.
Nobody had been charged over the incidents as of Wednesday afternoon.
The firearms taskforce was established in April to address the issue of gun crime, and since then 59 searches have been completed, 55 illegal guns, and more than 1000 rounds of ammunition seized, and 50 people charged.
"We are taking firearms out of the hands of criminals, and people who should not have them ... the taskforce is working," Detective Inspector Fox said.
But police still need help from the public.
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"The fact that we have seized 50 guns in about 10 weeks, it is concerning there are that many guns out there, but it is specifically what we have been targeting," Detective Inspector Fox said.
"We knew if we targeted gun crime, and guns, and put a specific team on it that we would seize a lot of firearms. I think what we will see now is those seizures will start to slow down, so we are after any information that can lead to us conducting searches.
"When we receive information we will do our best to search for those guns, seize them, and charge people."
Anyone with information about illegal firearms or the recent shooting incidents, including a small white hatchback leaving the St Leonards area at the time of Friday's shooting should contact police on 131 444. Crime Stoppers can also be contacted anonymously on 1800 333 000.
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