Thousands of guns seized in police haul 'like nothing seen before'

Man arrested after thousands of shotguns and rifles, along with chainsaws, were found

Brent Nicholson has been arrested and charged with possession of stolen property (Union County Sheriff’s Office)

Up to 10,000 stolen guns have been seized in a haul US police said unlike anything they had ever seen before.

Brent Nicholson, who lived at the home in Pageland, South Carolina, has been arrested and charged with possession of stolen property.

Along with shotguns and hunting rifles, deputies found hunting crossbows and taxidermy deer, elk and alligator heads. Around 150 chainsaws were also found.

Officials said it appeared Nicholson was hoarding them after other people had stolen them for him, Sky News reported.

The guns reportedly filled one 40ft-long truck and the ammunition filled another as they were taken away.

"There's like 150 chainsaws, probably 250 to 300 taxidermy mounts, somewhere between 7,000 and 10,000 stolen weapons," Chesterfield County Sheriff Jay Brooks told the Charlotte Observer.

"There were five sheriffs standing around, all of us with at least 25 years of experience, and none of us have ever seen anything like this."

"There were so many guns we quit counting after a while," he added.

The guns were discovered after Nicholson was arrested and charged with trafficking opium and heroin earlier in the week in Union County, WBTV reported.