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NSW: Man arrested by strike force in court on gun, drug charges

By Margaret Scheikowski
21 Jan 2009 3:40 PM

SYDNEY, Jan 21 AAP - A fourth man has faced a Sydney court as part of a major investigation into a string of crimes in NSW and Queensland.

Marcelo Alejandro Urriola, 24, who is charged with drug and firearms offences, was arrested by Strike Force Tuno 2 detectives.

In Waverley Local Court on Wednesday, Magistrate Lee Gilmour refused him bail on the 15 charges. Court papers gave two addresses for Urriola - Killarney Heights and Rosebery.

The charges, which relate to alleged offences committed between December 3 and 17, 2008 at inner-city Camperdown, were adjourned to Central Local Court on March 19.

He is charged with possessing and supplying 2986.12 grams of methylamphetamine; possessing and supplying 231.70 grams of cocaine; and having $29,900 suspected of being the proceeds of crime.

He is also charged with the unauthorised possession of a 9mm Smith and Wesson self-loading pistol, a Winchester single-barrel pump action shotgun and a shortened single-barrel shotgun; as well as two other charges relating to each gun.

Finally, he is charged with possessing ammunition without a licence.

On March 19, two charges relating to possessing steroids will also be mentioned.

As a result of the Strike Force Tuno 2 investigation, two men appeared in Sydney courts on Tuesday charged with conspiring to murder convicted drug dealer Terry Falconer in 2001.

On Tuesday, NSW police Detective Inspector Gary Jubelin said the initial Falconer investigation had expanded into Tuno 2 which was focusing on seven unsolved murders, three suspected murders, two attempted murders and other criminal activities.

As well as the two men charged in relation to Falconer, Det Insp Jubelin told reporters another man was in custody after being arrested last month in relation to a large quantity of drugs seized at an inner-city storage warehouse.

That man also was charged with firearms offences.