A notorious gang has given the meth dealers in its Waikato town 24 hours to leave - and says it'll only ask nicely the first time.
Tribal Huk gang leader Jamie Pink delivered the ultimatum to drug dealers in Ngaruawahia last night.
Pink said the deadline ended at 6.30pm today and after asking once, visits would begin to those who hadn't gone, Fairfax reported.
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He's previously used violence to shut down meth dealers after his daughter, a young teenager at the time, and her friends were offered the drug in 2007, it was reported.
He told a community meeting in the town: "For a lot of years, the Huks have kept a lot of other gangs out of here in Ngaruawahia and we are always going to do that, but we haven't kept their poison out of here. We are a bit sorry about that.
"From this second on, without disrespecting, we know who they are - some of them are whanau, but they've got to go. They have 24 hours to stop. We ask nicely first, then they've got to go. We've got no choice. The kids are asking for it. They'll be asked nicely the first time."
Pink has openly admitted assaulting people in the past - and serving time for it - and has no problem explaining what would happen to a rival gang if they stepped foot in Ngaruawahia.
"We'll attack them. We'll attack them in the main street. Anywhere they stop," he told the SBS last night.
His gang had zero tolerance for the drug and did not use nor sell it.
The threat to drug dealers came as crime in the town, which has a population of just more than 5100, appeared to be on the rise, Fairfax reported.
Pink believed meth was responsible.
Members of the community gathered at the meeting supported his demand.
Waikato District Mayor Allan Sanson told the Herald he didn't support having drug dealers in town either, but he also didn't condone acts of violence.
He said: "I do support that message. Anybody that sells drugs needs to leave town as far as I'm concerned. They're not welcome in our community. They just prey on the weak and vulnerable."
He denied that the town had a P problem.
"I have seen no evidence of it, it's not to say it's not there though. What Jamie said last night revolves around Jamie's world. In Jamie's world, P maybe an issue. But in most of the comunity, it's probably there no different to any other community in New Zealand.
"It sits in the underbelly and you've got to realise that Jamie is part of an organised group that don't have a great reputation around criminal activity."
However, he admired Pink and his gang for his efforts in feeding schoolchildren.
As for tonight's deadline, Sanson said he'll be at the local RSA for dinner and may take a walk down the street out of curiosity.
"Maybe we'll walk down the street at 6.30pm and see what happens. I don't think there will be. I'm not overly worried about it."
But a police officer present said the threats of violence or threatening people to leave weren't condoned.
Pink said the Tribal Huks would support families "doing it hard" with food packs and help agencies that aided those quitting meth.
"Anyone need any help, we will be there for you."