Police charged seven men.Seize methamphetamine, cash and other assets
Seven men between the ages of 33 and 57 are appearing in court following a series of search warrants in the North Island.
The Whanganui, Hamilton and Oakland warrants were the culmination of Operation Gallium, a long-running investigation into the activities of methamphetamine-manufacturing groups in remote areas.
Police located 19.32kg of methamphetamine and numerous precursor chemicals and equipment associated with large-scale commercial-scale methamphetamine production.
Also found were Class A and B controlled drugs such as LSD and GBL, firearms, and large amounts of cash.
Several expensive vehicles were also seized. A total of 19 vehicles, 5 motorcycles, 2 boats, 2 jet skis and 1 caravan were seized during the course of this investigation.
The seized methamphetamine was estimated to be worth $6.7 million and may have caused more than $21 million in social harm.
Police are grateful to the New Zealand Defense Force for their support in the form of air support. This enabled successful operations in the remote and rugged Wanganui River region.
Detective Alvy Alexander said the methamphetamine seizure was critical to the Central Region and demonstrated the importance and strength of the ongoing collaborative work being undertaken by the National Group, District Investigators and Sector Partners. .
“This job targets people who illegally accumulate property and wealth through the sale and manufacture of illegal drugs,” Criminal Inspector Alexander says.
“Crimes of this nature cause significant social harm and undermine the well-being of our communities, and New Zealand Police are working to disrupt and dismantle the drug networks that have been identified.”
The ones before the court are:
*The three men, aged 47, 55 and 57, are in custody to reappear at Whanganui District Court on May 30, 2023.
*A 33-year-old man has been issued an arrest warrant by the Hamilton District Court.
* A 41-year-old man is scheduled to appear in Manukau District Court on March 24.
* A 50-year-old man is scheduled to appear again in Hamilton District Court on May 5, 2023.
*The 57-year-old man is scheduled to appear in Manukau District Court on March 15, 2023.
An investigation is ongoing and the possibility of further arrests cannot be ruled out.
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Published by Police Media Center.
https://www.police.govt.nz/news/release/police-charge-seven-men-seize-methamphetamine-cash-and-other-assets Police charged seven men.Seize methamphetamine, cash and other assets