‘Significant’ police bust nabs drugs and guns
25 people arrested after five day operation
Loaded guns, more than 11,000 cannabis plants and 4kg of edibles are among items found by police in a “significant” operation hitting organised crime groups and gangs in the Bay of Plenty.
A recent five-day police operation arrested 25 people after police searched 39 properties across the region, District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson said in a statement.
The police, assisted by the Armed Offenders Squad in some cases, seized more than 80g of methamphetamine, 29 firearms, and $7610, and recovered two allegedly stolen vehicles and a stolen motorbike, he said.
Several loaded guns were also confiscated.
Police have laid drug and firearmrelated charges, and further charges and arrests were expected to follow.
Some of the accused had appeared in court and would reappear at later dates. Others were yet to be summonsed, he said.
Operation Emerald targets largescale drug cultivation, which police said gave gangs and organised crime a large income stream.
During the Bay operation, 11,372 cannabis plants – ranging in size from seedlings to 2m-high plants – were sprayed, recovered, or pulled from the ground.
The police recovered 729 plants at a Western Bay of Plenty address, 1.6kg of harvested cannabis at a Taupō property, and more than 4kg of edibles at an Eastern Bay address.
Anderson said illicit drug operations on a commercial scale strengthened organised crime groups and harmed communities.
He said the “significant” operation had culled an alleged “massive source” of funding for the Bay of Plenty’s organised crime groups and gangs.
Anderson said the purpose of Operation Emerald was to target gangs and criminal entities, “whose parasitic offending feeds off our communities”.
Anderson said several police officers were involved in the local phase of the operation and would continue to “keep the pressure on” criminal entities.
Operation Emerald is an annual police operation primarily targeting the illegal commercial cultivation of
cannabis.
The Drug Harm Index 2020 estimated cannabis caused $15,724 of social harm per kilogram consumed, amounting to about $911 million in social harm in communities each year.
Operation Emerald last year prevented $126.8m in social harm to
communities and prevented gangs and organised crime from earning $128m.
The 2022/23 operation resulted in 35,097 plants being seized or destroyed, along with 93.452kg of cannabis head and plant material, with a combined street value of $128m.