Police seize cache of weapons in raid on Franklinville home

A sizable arsenal was discovered yesterday in southern Gloucester County when more than 50 law-enforcement officers raided a home in Franklin Township, police said.

Police descended on a house in Franklinville to execute search warrants at 5 a.m., and on another home in Vineland, said Sgt. Stephen Jones, a state police spokesman.

At the Franklinville house, troopers seized more than 30 handguns, long guns, and assault-weapon parts. Several of the weapons could have been converted into machine guns, Jones said.

They also recovered a "ballistic knife," a hybrid weapon that shoots a blade from a spring-loaded handle, Jones said.

Troopers arrested the arsenal's owner, Larry Biagi, 49, without incident at his home on New Pearl Street in Vineland, and charged him on multiple weapons counts. Biaggi, a Cumberland County scrap dealer, was being held last night on $10,000 bail at the Gloucester County Jail.

Biaggi's mother owns the Franklinville house on Piney Hollow Road, where the weapons were stored. Biaggi had no permits for any of the weapons. He is not believed to be linked with any extremist groups, Jones said.

The raid had its roots in an unrelated operation, Jones said. A trooper from Bridgeton uncovered a burglary ring and recovered more than $50,000 worth of stolen property.

Among the recovered items was a toolbox that contained numerous assault-weapon parts and large-capacity ammunition magazines. Other items in the toolbox led investigators to the Franklin Township home, Jones said.

The huge law-enforcement contingent was required because the Franklinville property sits on a nine-acre plot and has several storage facilities, Jones said.