Police raid the Mongrel Mob gang in the Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Auckland, over alleged drug dealing by gang members.

Officers also seized approximately $800,000 worth of property, including one residence, four vehicles, a jet ski, two bicycles, one Harley Davidson motorcycle, $65,000 in cash, $86,000 in a bank account and approximately $20,000 worth of jewelry. dollars.

Police seized five rifles and a 3D printed pistol, as well as illegal drugs, including 5.4kg of marijuana and small amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine.

Thirteen spots of the barbaric mongrel gang were also confiscated.

The operation was led by the National Organized Crime Group (NOCG), a police unit that specializes in undercover investigations and involves investigating the alleged distribution of methamphetamine.

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Bay of Plenty District Superintendent Tim Anderson said it was a good day for Opotiki.

“The cessation of this operation sends a clear message to gang members selling illegal drugs through the Bay of Plenty that we will find you and you will be held accountable for your destructive behavior,” he said.

“We will continue to relentlessly pursue criminals who prey on our communities and cause enormous harm and suffering in their own communities through their drug dealing and violent behavior.”

The head of the policing team, Superintendent Greg Williams, said Operation Highwater was an NOCG investigation that began in December last year.

He said the investigation was primarily focused on the involvement of the Eastern Branch of the Barbarian motorcycle gang in drug trafficking.

“It also involved a significant amount of violence, which the gang also engaged in.”

He said the gang, based in Opotiki, had caused significant violence and problems and the investigation had prevented two separate murders. One was a planned shooting of a Tanga gang and the other was an attempted murder of a rival gang member in Hamilton.

NOCG investigations typically focus on the highest echelon of crime syndicates involved in drug smuggling into New Zealand, such as the case of 515kg of methamphetamine hidden inside steel beams from the United States.

Other recent investigations have focused on the Comancheros outlaw motorcycle gang, which has links to overseas organized crime groups.

But in other cases, NOCG has focused on local gangs, often in small towns where the drug trade has a disproportionate impact on the community.

Herald understands the morning raids are the result of an undercover investigation into alleged drug dealing by the Barbarians branch of the Mongrel gang based in Opotiki.

Opotiki consistently ranks among rural towns and regions with the highest levels of methamphetamine per capita, according to drug testing of wastewater.

A police spokesman said a press conference would be held in Tauranga this afternoon involving Williams and Superintendent Tim Anderson, Bay of Plenty district commander.

The Mongrel barbarian raids came a year after the death of the chapter president, who had publicly taken an anti-drug stance.

Comancheros arrest ‘hits the heart’ of motorcycle gang

Last month it emerged that nearly every member of the Comancheros motorcycle gang faces criminal charges after a lengthy police investigation spanning three years.

Following four phases of investigation, police allege that the Comanchero operated as an organized crime group running a sophisticated money laundering operation; drug import and supply operations; and a “commission” scheme to finance, among other things, the military training of some of its members.

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said a total of 137 charges had been brought against gang members and associates.

The defendants include 17 “debtors,” 10 gang members and 14 up-and-coming gang members.

“This investigation represents the biggest blow to Comanchero operations since Operation Nova,” Coster said.

“Police have struck right at the heart of this gang’s alleged activities. This is an exceptional result and demonstrates the dedication of police investigators over three years.

“From the moment the gang established itself in this country, they made it very clear that they considered themselves the number one gang in this country,” Koster said.

“From the outset, there has been an interagency effort to continually identify, disrupt and disrupt ongoing criminal activity.

“This has resulted in serious criminal prosecutions and assets and profits being stolen from their hands.”

In the latest phase of Operation Embargo, National Organized Crime Team investigators were looking for evidence of a directive allegedly sent to Comanchero members three years ago.

This directive is said to have directed members to follow the rules surrounding the “commission”.

As an example, it is stated that for every kilogram sold by their members, a commission of $5,000 will be paid.

Jared Savage is an award-winning journalist covering crime and justice issues, with a special focus on organized crime. He joined Herald in 2006 and is the author banditry And Gangster’s paradise.