US police carrying out a drug raid have discovered a semi-automatic pistol disguised as a toy Nerf gun.

The Glock pistol had a 50-round magazine, was painted blue and orange and had a Nerf logo similar to the toys made by Hasbro that fire foam darts or balls.

The Catawba County Sheriff’s office in North Carolina said in a Facebook post that while guns are often seized in drug raids “firearms of this type, while not illegal to possess, are concerning”.

As well as the pistol, officers found around 20 other weapons, cocaine, illegal mushrooms, marijuana and $2,300 (£1,600) in cash during the home search in Catawba.

Damien Alonzo Burch, 35, was charged with possession of cocaine, mushrooms and “misdemeanour possession of marijuana”. He was released on bail.

A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said: “Another success resulting from our area narcotics teams working together.

“Our agencies pooling their resources allows for a greater impact to be felt.”