Police found two illegal, semi-automatic firearms under a mattress when they executed a search warrant at a home in East Gresford, Maitland Local Court heard on Monday.
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Officers from the Central Hunter Drug Unit and detectives also found 1.86 kilograms of cannabis and cannabis leaf inside a locked room in the Durham Road house, the court was told.
Christopher John Harrigan, 41, unemployed, pleaded guilty to possessing prohibited drugs and two unregistered and prohibited firearms.
He also pleaded guilty to not keeping firearms safely.
Harrigan was fined $1000 on the drugs charge, sentenced to 300 hours of community service on the two firearms charges, and placed on a good behaviour bond of 18 months. He was also ordered to forfeit the firearms.
The court was told another 10 registered firearms were kept securely in an appropriate place and police had seized those.
Police documents tendered to the court said Harrigan had directed officers to the prohibited firearms under the mattress.
They found a .22 calibre Sportco semi-automatic self-loading rifle and a Luigi semi-automatic 12 gauge shotgun.
Harrigan said had been given the shotgun for his 21st birthday many years ago.
Searching a bedroom, police also found 12 full and three half-full plastic resealable bags of cannabis leaf, the court heard.
An esky with 28 plastic resealable bags and some loose, dried cannabis leaf was also found.
“The accused said the cannabis was all for his personal use and he was responsible for packaging it in resealable bags,” the police statement said.
“He said he had received it from a friend who owed him money.”
