Thirty-eight Headhunter Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMCG), members, made up of patched, prospects and associates are facing methamphetamine related charges following the termination of four investigations in the upper North Island over the course of 2014
Police have also seized in excess of $4 million in cash, methamphetamine and precursors with an estimated street value of $4 million, restrained assets worth $9.1 million and confiscated 22 firearms during the four terminations. All of the operations were centred on organised criminal activity connected to the Headhunters gang.
This morning Police from the Organised and Financial Crime Agency New Zealand (OFCANZ) and Northland District arrested thirteen Headhunter associates and prospects after executing a number of search warrants in and around Whangarei.
Detective Inspector Bruce Good from OFCANZ said this morning’s arrests in Whangarei included the discovery of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $2.5 million in a Mercedes motor vehicle on the Auckland motorway in November.
“Leading up to our termination in Whangarei this morning we had discovered a large scale methamphetamine manufacturing operation based in a rural location close to Whangarei,” Mr Good said. “We believe this operation was coordinated by and for the Headhunters OMCG.”
“On 14 November Police pulled over a Mercedes which had been driven from Whangarei to Auckland by two Headhunter gang associates aged 17 and 18. Inside the vehicle we discovered methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $2.5 million which Police believe was bound for the Auckland market and beyond.”
Detective Inspector Kevin Burke from Northland District said two clan labs, three firearms and a small amount of cannabis and methamphetamine were also discovered during this morning’s termination.
“Police intelligence indicates that this Whangarei operation had the capacity to produce $3 million worth of methamphetamine per week,” Mr Burke said.
“During these operations search warrants were executed in 7 of the 12 Police districts which illustrate the scope of this organised criminal network.”
On 10 December Police from OFCANZ, Counties Manukau District and Waikato District terminated another operation which targeted the manufacture and supply of methamphetamine in Auckland and Waikato.
Mr Good said that during this termination $1million in cash, a cache of stolen weapons, a taser, several thousand rounds of ammunition were discovered at the Miranda address of a senior patched member of the Headhunters.
“Last week nine suspects, all with links to the Headhunters, were arrested during the termination.” Mr Good said. “This followed the execution of a number of search warrants in Onehunga, Otahuhu and rural South Auckland. Two further clandestine laboratories were located along with chemicals and precursors necessary for the manufacture of methamphetamine.”
“We believe that several of the weapons seized from the Miranda property were part of a cache stolen from a Bucklands Beach gun collector in June. This indicates that the Headhunters members and associates are not only manufacturing and supplying methamphetamine they are also involved in a range of organised criminal activity.”
The Miranda property raided on Thursday is the same rural address that Police targeted during the termination of an operation in May.
Mr Good acknowledged that the Whangarei operation shutdown this morning may have been one of the clan labs used by the Headhunters to supply the South Island methamphetamine market.
“When you have cooks producing $3 million worth of methamphetamine in three days you start to see the size of the problem,” Mr Good said.
Mr Good also warned that while the Headhunters were the target of Operations during 2014 there were several other organised criminal groups running similar methamphetamine operations.
“They are well organised, well-resourced and seemingly highly profitable,” Mr Good admitted.
“Police will continue to work hard to reduce the harm that methamphetamine causes in our community by targeting the organised criminal groups that manufacture and supply this destructive drug.”
“I would like to acknowledge Police from Northland, Waitematä, Auckland, Counties-Manukau, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Tasman Districts for their assistance during these investigations.”
“Our investigation into the Headhunters and other like gangs methamphetamine operations is on-going. In 2015 Police will shut down more clan labs. We will arrest more cooks. We will seize more drugs and restrain more assets and we will target the money behind these organised criminal networks.”
ENDS
For more information contact Kevin Sinnott on 021 192 2917