Cannabis, meth, gold found in WA drug raid

Ongoing raids in Western Australia's Goldfields-Esperance region have led police to one tonne of allegedly stolen unprocessed gold-bearing ore at a Kalgoorlie residence.

More than 50 search warrants have been used to raid properties in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Kambalda and Esperance, resulting in the alleged seizure of almost half a kilogram of processed gold and the unprocessed gold-bearing ore.

Police say various drugs including methylamphetamine, cannabis and MDMA were also seized, leaving 43 people facing drug charges, with cash and stolen goods also folund along with weapons including a stun gun and a large amount of ammunition.

A WA Police spokesman told AAP on Thursday the unprocessed ore was stored in about 15-20 plastic tubs, which also contained water, and it appeared the culprits were planning to pan for gold.

He said the property had a gold extraction set-up, including tools to grind the dirt and then pull the precious metal out.

Kalgoorlie is home to the Super Pit, which was until recently Australia's largest open cut mine, and a WA Police gold stealing detection unit focused on the theft of gold and gold mining equipment.