Man with rifle down pants charged

A man found with a loaded rifle down the front of his pants near Wollongong is one of three arrested after a firearms investigation in the region.

During a vehicle stop in Wollongong on Thursday afternoon police say they found the 21-year-old with a .22 calibre loaded rifle down his pants and a 19-year-old man with a knife.

The pair were arrested and police warrants were executed soon after at a unit, where a 28-year-old man was was found attempting to break into it.

All three have been charged.