KEY POINTS:
A man who claimed 130 guns, including automatic rifles and sub-machine guns, had been stolen from his home has pleaded guilty to illegally selling 30 of them.
John Noel Mabey, 43, told police that the guns had been stolen from his Hot Water Beach home in a burglary in July last year.
Police charged Mabey with giving a false statement to police. Only nine of the guns have been found so far.
Mabey will reappear in the Hamilton District Court on September 5.
Waikato police spokesman Andrew Mcalley alleged last year that two automatic pistols found with a fugitive in Auckland were part of the collection.
A 29 year-old man was also found with an automatic pistol and ammunition in October last year but Mr Mcalley said that no connection between the false burglary and the pistol could be made because the serial number on the gun had been ground off.
Detective Constable Alan Lee said police had earlier issued an amnesty for the guns to be returned but it was unsuccessful.
He said the recovery of the weapons remained a priority.
"Anyone with any information on the location of any of these weapons is asked to contact their nearest Police Station," he said
- NZ HERALD STAFF
