Police investigating the ill-gained proceeds of a criminal's drug-selling activities across the North Island have this week seized expensive vehicles, cash, guns, drugs and thousands of banned-substance vapes in Wellington and Auckland.
Police targeting the illicit sale of methamphetamine found not only meth, but thousands of illicit vape products believed to contain the banned Class C1 substance, Etomidate.
Among the items seized by Police in search warrants from Wellington to Auckland were over 2000 vapes, over $100,000 in cash, approximately 2.8 kilograms of methamphetamine, 70 grams of cocaine, four litres of GBL, several firearms including a semi-automatic and ammunition.
A Mongrel Mob member and four associates have been charged with multiple offences, with further arrests likely.
Police executed search warrants at addresses in Upper Hutt, Wellington, Tawa, Pauatahanui and Auckland.
The Police Asset Recovery Unit restrained over $1 million in assets including a residential property, six cars including two Ferrari convertible sports cars, five motorcycles including a Harley Davidson, two Victory motorbikes, and a quad bike.
Detective Senior Sergeant Karen Heald said the operation was the result of a targeted investigation by a small, dedicated team which unravelled an organised criminal group with threads throughout the North Island and into the South Island.
"The large number of Etomidate vapes is particularly concerning as these are products being peddled to vulnerable people in our community."
The Minister of Health has issued a temporary Class Drug Order (TCDO) for the substance etomidate. Etomidate can cause involuntary muscle jerking or twitching, loss of coordination, drowsiness, dizziness, confusion, breathing difficulties, or hyperventilation, low blood pressure, low heart rate, nausea or vomiting and loss of consciousness.
"It goes without saying that drugs cause so much harm in our community - not only to those who become addicted, but to the families of those people who get hooked, and the people who then become victims of the crimes they commit to feed their habit.
"It's remarkable to think of the harm the offenders impose on our communities, and the luxuries they are then affording themselves in the process," she said.
Detective Sergeant Sam Buckley from the Asset Recovery Unit said: "We will continue to target both those who profit from their criminal offending as well as those people in our communities who enable this profiteering through their complicity in knowingly accepting these illicit funds."
As part of this week's operation, the Resilience to Organised Crime in Communities (ROCC) team worked alongside the investigation team in Porirua to connect those impacted by this offending with community-based support services. Targeted enforcement alongside community resilience building strengthens long term outcomes.
