Wellington Police’s Organised Crime Unit has arrested a further seven people on drugs charges as a follow-up to last week’s smashing of an international drug syndicate importing LSD into New Zealand.
Eight people including three Canadian nationals and an American were arrested last week on the termination of Operation Syrup -- an electronics investigation which ran for 150 days.
Detective Sergeant Darrin Thomson says Police and Customs staff this week executed several search warrants relating to offences on the periphery of the main Operation Syrup investigation.
Seven Wellington men aged from 20 to 51 were arrested as a result and face a variety of charges including:
• Possession of methamphetamine for supply
• Possession of ecstasy for supply
• Supplying ecstasy
• Supplying methamphetamine
• Supplying LSD
• Producing cannabis oil
• Supplying cannabis oil
• Cultivating cannabis.
Small quantities of methamphetamine, ecstasy, cannabis and various amounts of cash were seized during the execution of the warrants.
"Most of those arrested were captured in the net of the main investigation while others were unexpectedly caught while the search warrants were being executed," Detective Sergeant Thomson says.
"The range of drugs seized is indicative of their widespread use."