A Canberra man agreed to mind a cache of weapons and ammunition for the Comanchero Outlaw Motorcycle Club in a bid to recover a vehicle he lost to pay a drug debt.
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However, police raided Nikolas Mikac and charged him with the possession of eight firearms and ammunition.
A Canberra judge this week sentenced him to serve a jail sentence in the community.
The ACT Supreme Court heard that Mikac, who had used up to four grams of cocaine a week, could not pay a $25,000 drug debt he owed to a dealer.
Mikac took out a $50,000 personal loan and bought a car in the name of the dealer to neutralise the debt.
He then paid out the money owing, but the vehicle was not returned, and he later discovered the car had been sold to a Comanchero member.
Mikac wanted to recover the vehicle and sell it to reduce the personal loan, and sought legal advice, which he considered unhelpful.
He then sought assistance from the gang, who agreed to help if he minded a bag of firearms for them for about a week.
He received the weapons in March, but raided his home the next day.
Police discovered 119 rounds of assorted ammunition and eight firearms, including a modified semi-automatic rifle, sawn-off double barrel shotgun, .45 calibre semi-automatic pistol, and a 9mm handgun.
Nikolas Mikac, 35, pleaded guilty in the ACT Supreme Court to five firearm and ammunition charges.
The court heard Mikac had no criminal history, employment, and a stable relationship.
However, he admitted he had contact with drug users and persons with criminal histories in order to buy drugs for occasional personal use.
He told the court he had reduced his drug use, had attempted to distance himself from negative associates and intended to undergo drug treatment.
The author of the pre-sentence report assessed the offender as having a low to medium risk of re-offending.
Chief Justice Helen Murrell said the public would be extremely concerned about the facts of the case.
"One of the principal concerns in relation to the possession of any unauthorised firearm is that it may fall into the hands of the criminally inclined who may use the firearm to seriously threaten public safety," she said.
"In the present case, the firearms had already fallen into the hands of members of a motorcycle gang.
"By possessing the weapons, the offender was assisting the gang members by hiding them."
The judge categorised the offence as mid-range and took into account the fact that Mikac only had the guns in his possession for a short amount of time.
Chief Justice Murrell sentenced Mikac to 22 months jail, to be served in the community by way of an intensive correction order, with a $750 fine.
She also ordered the offender to not associate with any known outlaw motorcycle gang members or affiliates, and undergo regular drug screening.
