Reporting by Bay City News:
While searching the home of a man suspected of plotting a large heist in Santa Cruz, police found 48 firearms and more than 50,000 rounds of ammunition Friday morning.
Nicholas Charles Yukich, 54, lived in a mobile home in the 2700 block of Mattison Lane in unincorporated Live Oak in Santa Cruz County, police said.
Yukich is suspected to be the mastermind in a grand theft conspiracy and attempted to recruit others to conduct his plan to steal from a Santa Cruz business, police said.
Police said Yukich's months-long plan included surveillance and reconnaissance of the intended target.
Assault rifles, shotguns, handguns, high-capacity magazines and other weapons were uncovered by investigators, police said.
Many of the firearms are prohibited by state law and some of the ammunition is believed to be armor piercing, police said.
Experts from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting detectives in classifying the weapons, police said.
Yukich was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail and is being held on $500,000 bail.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
