A sub-machine gun found by police searching houses for drugs in south Auckland yesterday is another example of a growing trend by drugs dealers to arm themselves, police say.
Police searched two houses near Pukekohe yesterday and found the .45 calibre Thompson gun, drug gear and $30,000 in cash.
The gun would be examined by a police armourer, but Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Lynch said everything on it worked although it was not loaded and there was no ammunition found during the search.
A 39-year-old man is due in court on drugs charges today.
Mr Lynch said there was a growing and disturbing trend for drugs dealers and manufacturers to carry arms to protect themselves in their drug dealings. About half the police searches on suspected drug dealers or manufacturers resulted in firearms being found.
The .45 Thompson sub-machine gun was first made in 1919 and with a firing rate of up to 750 rounds a minute quickly became popular, particularly amongst the criminal underworld in America. It was used in Chicago's notorious St Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929 and carried by renegade killers Bonnie and Clyde in the 1930s.
Mr Lynch said police believe the gun seized was capable of firing. "It looks like the real McCoy."
It was becoming increasingly common to find firearms with illegal drugs and police regularly found sawn off shotguns, rifles and pistols in drugs raids.