The jaw-dropping discovery police made after officers swooped on teenager accused of brazen home invasion against crime journalist Ryan Naumenko’s elderly mother
A teenager is among two youths charged over a terrifying home invasion on a Melbourne journalist’s mother.
The alleged attack on independent journalist Ryan Naumenko ‘s mother came just days after he spoke exclusively to The Trial Australia podcast where he revealed how his insider coverage of Melbourne’s tobacco wars had already nearly cost him his life.
The tobacco wars are a violent gang conflict that has erupted over control of Australia’s lucrative illegal tobacco trade. It has been raging for more than two years.
On Tuesday, detectives from Victoria Police’s Gang Crime Squad executed search warrants in Springvale, in Melbourne’s south-east, charging a 17-year-old boy.
The teen now faces a string of serious offences, including possessing a handgun and ammunition, trafficking and possessing ecstasy, possessing the proceeds of crime, handling stolen goods and failing to provide police his mobile phone PIN number.
Officers allegedly seized a chilling cache of weapons from the home, including a 3D-printed .22 calibre handgun, a Samurai sword, MDMA, a flick knife, cash, and a stolen driver’s licence.
He was bailed to appear at a children’s court at a later date.
A 20-year-old man from Harkness was also charged in connection with the probe.
Ryan Naumenko’s (pictured) mum was caught up in an alleged home invasion
He had previously been hit with two counts of possessing a controlled weapon without excuse and possessing cocaine.
That man was bailed and is due to face Sunshine Magistrates’ Court on May 7.
Naumenko told Daily Mail he was happy with the police investigation into the alleged home invasion.
‘The cops did a decent job – my family and myself are incredibly grateful for the work they’ve put into this investigation,’ he told Daily Mail.
‘Let’s just hope the courts give my mother some justice for a change.’
Naumenko took to his Instagram page to describe the horror attack at his mother’s family home in Victoria’s north-west in the days after it happened.
‘My mother’s home was invaded by three youth offenders last night. It was over an article revealing details about someone that weren’t yet known. Two of the children were carrying weapons – a machete and a small bat,’ he wrote.
‘They jumped the fence and smashed their way in through the backyard. They punched my mother multiple times to her face but left no marks.
The home of Ryan Naumenko’s mum following the alleged attack
CCTV captured the alleged thugs fleeing his mum’s home
‘The hits were very soft. ‘They were kids they didn’t know how to punch’, according to my mother. They left within seconds and ran the second they heard my voice.
‘They were telling my elderly mother, who is recovering from major cancer surgery, to ‘say Ryan’s a Dog’. This must be called out for what it is – gangsters who are nothing more than cowardly putrid skunks with no morals.’
Naumenko ended his post with an ominous message.
‘I’ll show you what men do when we love our families more than our own lives,’ he stated.
Naumenko has made national headlines in recent months after telling Daily Mail he planned to sack his podcast host former sergeant-at-arms for the Mongols outlaw bikie gang turned reporter Mahmood Fazal.
Naumenko and Fazal had only launched the World on the Street podcast, but quickly fell out.
The feud escalated when Naumenko hit YouTube with a video outlining a series of allegations against his former cohost.
Naumenko has made a name for himself as an independent crime reporter in Melbourne
It is not suggested that Fazal had anything to do with the home invasion.
He has made a name for himself as a fearless independent Melbourne-crime reporter able to get rare insights into the criminal underworld.
Naumenko’s sources within Melbourne’s underbelly give him access to scoops often beyond the grasp of mainstream journalists.
