Police have made the extraordinary discovery of an underground bunker filled with dangerous weaponry beneath an unsuspecting couch.
WA Police officers made the unsettling find inside a High Wycombe home, east of Perth, owned by boxing promoter and former professional fighter David ‘Ice Man’ Letizia.
Underneath a solid base concealed by grey carpet and a brown lounge was a metal staircase, exposed by a hydraulic arm that lifted the entire unit up.
Down the stairs, police found illegally hidden firearms and ammunition as well as an underground shooting range with its own motorised system allowing the targets to be moved.
Handguns, shotguns and more than a thousand rounds of ammunition were found, along with a workbench fully equipped to modify the weapons from the bunker.
“A bunker, an underground shooting range, an arsenal of high-powered firearms right in suburban Perth. It’s just incredible,” WA police Minister Paul Papalia told Seven.
Among the haul of dangerous weapons was a 50 calibre rifle with ammunition – enough to blow up armoured vehicles and buildings.
“We also found a suppressor, which is like a silencer. That’s illegal. Body armour, illegal. Unsecured and unlicensed ammunition, illegal,” Police Commissioner Col Blanch said.
“My heart sinks every time I see a firearms burglary where more than 10, sometimes 20 and 30 firearms are being taken from a house.”
Had the police not been tipped off about the hidden dungeon, it would have likely remained secret forever.
The firearms were taken by officers and sent to be destroyed, while Letizia pleaded guilty to multiple firearms charges and was fined $3200.
He will also face court later this year for allegedly building the bunker without approval from the council.
The bust came ahead of a significant shake-up of WA’s gun laws, which are set to undergo the biggest slew of changes in 50 years.
“Our laws are outdated. They allow some very high-powered firearms that really are designed for shooting rhinos or penetrating armour plating,” WA police Minister Paul Papalia said.
“There’s no justifiable reason for them in our state. That’s why we’re going to ban them.”
He said “just about every element of firearms ownership and use will be addressed”.
Story Credit: news.com.au