Massive methbust nets mob members
Up to $1.2 million worth of methamphetamine is off the streets following last week’s police raids of Wellington properties.
Porirua Mongrel Mob members were targeted in the four-month police investigation, resulting in the Tuesday and Wednesday raids that netted at least $450,000 in cash.
Several properties in the northern suburb of Tawa were searched, with drugs, 10 firearms, and two stolen motorbikes worth about $30,000 found. Raids were also carried out in the East Auckland suburb of Howick, and two people suspected of supplying the mob with imported meth arrested.
Thirteen people were arrested after the operation, including two in Auckland, and face methamphetamine related-charges. A total of 150 police officers were involved – 120 in the Wellington operations.
Police used undercover officers and bugged gang members ahead of early morning raids that netted firearms, drugs and a grenade.
Locked safes containing ’’several electronic items’’ would be examined by experts, a spokesman said.
Undercover operations boss Detective Inspector Mike Arnerich said police were ‘‘ecstatic’’ with the haul, which was the biggest he had known in 40 years of policing.
The mob’s customers were thought to come from ‘‘every socioeconomic class’’, he said.
Police would tell the courts that the mob distributed about 20 kilograms of meth in greater Wellington over the past 6-9 months, Arnerich added.
A Linden property kept under surveillance had ‘‘hundreds of visits’’ from suspected customers, Detective Senior Sergeant Tim Leitch said.
The house had surveillance cameras, alarms, and reinforced doors.
The operation resulted in police restraining holding assets including a Mercedes-Benz, a launch, and a container house near the Firth of Thames, bring- ing the total value of assets restrained in the investigation to an estimated $2.3m.
In Porirua District Court, four people faced charges including supplying methamphetamine, cultivation of cannabis and possession of the synthetic drug N-bomb.
A 46-year-old man facing 31 charges was remanded in custody. Two men, 44 and 23, were also remanded in custody, and a woman aged 40 was granted bail.
All four were granted name suppression until April 19 and will reappear in court later this month.