A third clandestine methamphetamine laboratory has been located in Wellington just days after last week's discoveries in the suburbs of Kingston and Island Bay.
Members of the Wellington Police Crime Control Unit were executing a search warrant around 9.00am today (24 May 2005) at a residential address in Island Bay when they located the laboratory.
Members of the National Clandestine Laboratory Response Team (NCLRT) Wellington, attended and processed the scene along with scientists from the ESR earlier this afternoon.
"Locating a third clan lab within a seven day period is certainly a concern to us," says Detective Sergeant Sean Hansen, Wellington Police Organised Crime Unit.
"I want to emphasise to people who are involved or considering getting involved with manufacturing methamphetamine that it is extremely dangerous not only to themselves but also to innocent members of the community and accordingly we take it very seriously. We will prosecute anyone who we find involved in this type of activity".
Two 33 year old men were arrested in connection with the discovery and have since appeared in the Wellington District court. They have been bailed to re-appear next week.
In an unrelated matter two Wellington men, aged 22 and 19 will appear in the Wellington District Court tomorrow (25 May 2005) facing a charge of Importing a Class A controlled drug.
This followed a combined operation involving the New Zealand Customs Service and the Wellington Police Organised Crime Unit after a quantity of LSD was intercepted by Customs after being imported from Canada.