Police raid suspected meth lab
Armed police converged on a suspected methamphetamine laboratory at a New Plymouth address early yesterday morning.
Members of the Taranaki and Whanganui Armed Offenders Squad, dog handlers and detectives swooped on the Maui Pl property in Spotswood shortly before 7am.
One person was arrested for assault and taken away from the address in handcuffs in the back of a police four-wheel-drive.
The house was cleared and secured by members of the AOS, who were wearing hazardous material suits over their usual black uniforms, before the Wellington Clandestine Laboratory squad, also dressed in special protective clothing, entered the property.
Detective Sergeant Gerard Bouterey said the AOS officers were wearing the protective clothing as a safety precaution while a search warrant for the manufacture of methamphetamine was carried out.
‘‘If we are going into a potential methamphetamine laboratory it’s about making sure our staff are safe,’’ Bouterey said. ‘‘We cleared the address and made sure it was safe for staff to go in and search.’’
Bouterey said there wasn’t an active lab or any equipment found at the address.
However, a quantity of methamphetamine and utensils used to consume the Class A drug were located and a woman in her 50s was arrested and charged with drug-related offences.
He said samples from the house had been taken and would be analysed by ESR.
Maui Pl, which is off Rangitake Dr, was not cordoned off during the raid and neighbours could be seen peering out from behind their curtains as police worked at the scene.
The AOS teams left the address about 8.45am while the clan lab squad remained at the scene for some time.