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A Mongols’ gang pad in Tuakau has been shut down as a result of a five-month police operation cracking down on a methamphetamine importation ring.
Operation Raider has resulted in five people associated to the Mongols Outlaw Motorcycle Gang North Island Chapter facing serious charges in court, Detective Senior Sergeant Damian Espinosa (National Gang Unit) confirms.
“Information provided by US authorities has led the MGU (Motorcycle Gang Unit) to target associates of the gang here in New Zealand, who were allegedly importing methamphetamine linked to a Mexican Cartel,” he says.
“As a result of our investigation, the chapter [has lost] its pad in the Tuakau area.”
A pre-planned search warrant executed at a Tuakau address on July 30, which sparked public alarm due to the number of police units heading to the town is unrelated, police have confirmed for the Times.
The investigation has wider impacts.
“It’s not only a great result for [the Tuakau] community, but also those vulnerable areas where criminals are trying to profit off peddling drugs,” Espinosa says.
“We are continuing to apply pressure on these illegal criminal operations in New Zealand, closely tying in with international partners to target transnational networks.”
The people charged include:
- A senior office holder (45) charged with four counts of importing a class A controlled drug, two counts of conspires to import class A controlled drug, and unlawfully possessing ammunition
- A gang prospect (42) charged with two counts of importing class A controlled drug
- A gang prospect (33) charged with prohibited display of gang insignia
- An associate (43) charged with cultivates cannabis
- A 58-year-old woman, an associate of the gang, has been charged with two counts of importing a class A controlled drug, and two counts of conspiring to import a class A controlled drug
