A 37-year-old Hunter Valley man has been charged with 14 offences after being stopped during a major statewide police operation targeting impaired drivers.
Police say the man was pulled over on Wine Country Drive, North Rothbury, about 12.30am on Sunday 9 November, after allegedly speeding during Operation RAID – a four-day campaign targeting drivers under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or fatigue.
Officers allege they found an altered registration plate on the man’s motorcycle before searching his backpack, where they allegedly discovered an unloaded double-barrel shotgun, shotgun shells, more than $11,900 in cash, and drugs including white crystal and pills.
A further search allegedly uncovered a loaded smooth-bore revolver hidden in the man’s underwear and a small container of clear liquid.
He was taken to Cessnock Police Station before being transferred to Cessnock Hospital. Upon his release, he was charged with multiple firearms, drug, and traffic offences and refused bail to appear in Parramatta Local Court, where he was again refused bail. He will reappear in Cessnock Local Court on Wednesday.
Operation RAID (Remove All Impaired Drivers) ran from 6 to 9 November, with police conducting more than 145,000 breath tests and 10,000 drug tests statewide. More than 900 drivers were allegedly found impaired, and six people died on NSW roads during the operation — five of them in regional areas.
Police say high-visibility operations like RAID will continue in a bid to reduce road trauma and keep NSW roads safe.
