A gun allegedly belonging to the model girlfriend of Kings Cross nightclub identity John Ibrahim may be linked to one of the nation’s biggest ever gun smuggling rings.
Sarah Budge was charged by police with being in possession of a ‘baby glock’ pistol during a series of raids across Australia, Dubai and The Netherlands in early August.
And now a police source has told The Daily Telegraph they believe there is a ‘high chance’ the weapon may have been one of 130 smuggled into Australia by a group that was busted in 2012.
A gun allegedly belonging to the Sarah Budge (pictured) the model girlfriend of nightclub identity John Ibrahim, may be linked to one of the nation’s biggest ever gun smuggling rings
budge (left) was charged by police with being in possession of a ‘baby glock’ pistol during a series of raids across Australia, Dubai and The Netherlands in early August
The 27-year-old was released on bail under strict conditions after the August 8 raids, including a $50,000 deposit and needing to report to police three times a week.
Charged with possessing a loaded firearm, Budge could face up to five years in jail if found guilty of the offence.
The firearms smugglers who operated out of the Sylvania Post Office, an hour south of Sydney, reportedly smuggled up to 130 weapons into the country before the bust.
And now, with few of the weapons tracked down, police believe the weapon found in Budge’s Rose Bay home may have originated from the crime group.
‘It’s a high chance that it is (one of the Maxworthy guns) because there are very few other places that type of gun could have come from,’ an AFP source said.
‘They’re not available to members of the public.’
It is not alleged that Budge was at all involved in the gun smuggling syndicate.
AFP officers reportedly recognised similarities between the weapon and other guns found from the syndicate, with tests to confirm if it is one of the smuggled weapons.
It is understood that a number of the weapons smuggled in by the syndicate were ‘Baby Glocks’.
Police believe there is a ‘high chance’ the weapon (pictured) may have been one of 130 smuggled into Australia by a group that was busted in 2012
The 27-year-old – who is facing five years jail – was released on bail under strict conditions after the August 8 raids, including a $50,000 deposit and having to report to police three times a week
The smuggling operation was uncovered by police after a criminal was caught firing a weapon in Western Sydney in 2012.
With its serial number still on, police were able to track it back to the group moving weapons through Germany, Switzerland and the United States into Australia.
Police seized 1.8 tonnes of ecstasy, 136kg of cocaine, 15kg of methamphetamines and $5.45m in cash after a number of raids on crime figures in Sydney and Dubai.
In total it’s believed the international drug ring targeted was worth more than $810 million.
Ibrahim’s brother Fadi and Michael were both arrested in Dubai for their involvement in the alleged syndicate, with the pair still awaiting extradition back to Australia.
And now, with few of the weapons tracked down, police believe the weapon found in Budge’s Rose Bay home may have originated from the crime group
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