A Dapto man accused of breaking into an Albion Park Rail home and stealing half a million dollars worth of opals in February allegedly spent much of the rest of the year dealing drugs.
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Police will allege Clayton David Love, 42, was among four people who broke into the Princes Highway home in the early hours of February 10 and demanded the owners hand over opal stones worth $500,000.
The home owners, a 46-year-old man and 26-year-old woman, complied and handed over the large collection of precious stones.
It is alleged Love was armed with a sawn-off rifle at the time.
The incident was reported to officers from Lake Illawarra Police District who started investigating.
The case was later handed to detectives from the State Crime Command's Robbery and Serious Crime Squad.
Meanwhile, police investigating drug supply in the region allegedly identified Love as being involved in several drug transactions over the space of a number of months.
Between March and April police say they detected Love supplying methamphetamine in Dapto on an ongoing basis.
On May 4 it is alleged he supplied six grams of meth.
Later, on May 20, 2021, police say Love supplied a commercial quantity of 25D-NBoME, a synthetic hallucinogen.
He is also charged with possessing the same quantity of the same drug on November 10.
Police will also allege Love had in his possession instructions for the manufacture of a prohibited drug.
Police have further accused Love of being in possession of a variety of illicit firearms, including a replica revolver in Dapto in April and a prohibited .22 calibre revolver in Horsley in July.
Police say in addition to being unlicensed to own a gun, Love was subject to a firearms prohibition order.
Detectives arrested Love at the corner of Market and Church Streets, Wollongong, about 9.45am on Wednesday.
Officers allegedly located and seized a quantity of methylamphetamine when they searched him.
He was taken to Wollongong Police Station and charged.
Love chose not to appear during a brief mention of his matter before Magistrate Claire Girotto at Wollongong Local Court yesterday.
His case was adjourned to January 12.
He did not apply for bail, and it was formally refused.
Investigations into the opal theft under Strike Force Diment are continuing.
So far, strike force detectives have charged three people in addition to Love, a 53-year-old woman and two men - aged 28 and 27, who remain before the courts.
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