NSW gun dealer an alleged 'profit mongerer in organised crime'

A licensed gun dealer in NSW who was arrested over allegations he illegally sold weapons, with one of them allegedly ending up in the hands of a killer, will remain behind bars.

Police took Shane Simpson, 46, into custody yesterday after raiding his firearms dealership on Wentworth Street in Port Kembla, near Wollongong, about 9am.

Simpson is accused of providing fake paperwork to sell guns to buyers without firearms licences.

9News understands he allegedly sold two guns that were used in the shooting of two Sydney underworld figures in 2016 and 2017.

NSW Police this morning confirmed more than 300 pistols were alleged disposed of by Simpson, with about 30 firearms recovered and linked to organised crime.

Only a handful of the semi-automatic handguns have been recovered, but police say his weapons have been used by gangland killers, drug networks and other organised crime.

Twenty of those weapons were also found at various crime scenes in NSW.

Detectives set up Strikeforce Myosoti in November 2018 to investigate how illegal guns were moving across the country and discovered an "anomaly" around a Port Kembla gun shop in NSW's Illawarra.

"We identified at least 30 firearms that had made their way into the hands of organised crime - 20 of those in crime scenes across NSW," Acting Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said.

"We will allege he is a profit mongerer in organised crime and that weapons recovered were recovered from crime scenes including gangland murders and other crimes in other states."

Mr Smith said Simpson is one of the most significant scalps for organised crime investigators because "professional facilitators" are rare and hard to uncover.

"(The dealer) might as well have had the gun in his own hand and committed the crimes that have been created from his," he said.

Simpson features in an online cooking series called 'Hunting the Menu' in which he and co-hosts would hunt wild animals to cook in gourmet meals.

At least two killings in Sydney were allegedly committed with guns sourced by the arms dealer, police say.

Mr Smith said the guns are likely to be linked to further crimes and more arrests were possible.

Alluding to the Christchurch mosque massacre, he said recent world events proved even legal firearms in the wrong hands can have an "awful" outcome.

He said it was the responsibility of NSW agencies to uphold "the legacy" of former prime minister John Howard's firearms laws.

Simpson has since been charged with more than 50 firearms offences and was refused bail, and his matter was heard at Wollongong Local Court today.

The 46-year-old did not apply for bail and was not present at the court hearing when it was formally refused.

Simpson is next expected to appear in court on April 16.