Three people have been arrested as Police and Customs disrupt plans to import a large shipment of methamphetamine into New Zealand as part of Operation Lithium.
A container filled with pails of grease was searched by Customs and found to contain methamphetamine originating out of Iran.
The total weight of the drug is yet to be determined, however it is expected to be a commercial quantity based on the concealment method.
Operation Lithium is a combined NZ Police National Organised Crime Group (NOCG) and Customs investigation looking into the importation of a significant quantity of methamphetamine into the country. Customs seized the shipment of Methamphetamine on 10 May 2022 at the Port of Tauranga.
Further investigation into this shipment resulted in the arrest of three Auckland men, aged between 21 and 42 years, yesterday.
All three men have been charged with importing the methamphetamine and the 21-year-old man has also been charged with Threatening to Kill.
They are appearing in the Auckland District Court today.
National Organised Crime Group Detective Senior Sergeant Reece Sirl says methamphetamine devastates many vulnerable communities while organised criminal groups continue to profit off this type of offending.
'This seizure at the border is another demonstration of the Police and Customs working together to disrupt and dismantle organised crime networks and to make New Zealand more resilient to transnational organised crime,” he says.
Cam Moore, Customs Manager Investigations, says 'Criminal gangs think they are untouchable, but this operation proves them wrong.
We have stopped their drugs from reaching the New Zealand market, where it could have had a significant economic and human toll.
Customs, Police and our overseas partners have the intelligence, capability and tools to dismantle these criminal networks – and every determination to continue doing so.”
Police cannot rule out further arrests as the investigation is ongoing.
As the matter is now before the Court, Police are unable to comment further.
2 comments
YES
Posted on 03-06-2022 16:05 | By Yadick
Another GREAT effort by NOCG and other Officers of various agencies. Thank you. The more of this, the more disruption to gangs. Stomp on these morons heavily. Here's hoping the courts have got the ba11s to stand up, support our Police and communities and do their job properly. So long as pathetic sentences are being handed down with love and hugs and compassion for a poor childhood these gangs and dealers are laughing in everyone's face. Kick them where it hurts and kick them hard.
Intelligence
Posted on 04-06-2022 06:23 | By Slim Shady
The Police do a decent job with very limited resources, but I’m afraid far too much is getting through. Drugs, guns. This is a drop in the ocean. If only we had a proper National Intelligence Agency, like the one the Christchurch Royal Commission had recommended 3 years ago. They painted a sorry picture of New Zealand’s ability to prevent threats through good intelligence. And Organised crime is a threat to national security. We are seeing it with increasing effect. It’s galling to see the PM lecturing Americans on guns and crime, whilst making no efforts in New Zealand to prevent organised criminals taking a foothold. She used the Christchurch shootings for her own image building. She has done nothing to increase the security of New Zealand. Bought some guns off law abiding weekend hunters is all. The gangs still have guns. They’re still bringing them in. Failure.
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