The police seized firearms in the Bay of Plenty as part of Operation Emerald. Photo / NZ Police
The police seized firearms in the Bay of Plenty as part of Operation Emerald. Photo / NZ Police
Loaded guns, more than 11,000 cannabis plants and 4kg of edibles are among items found by police in a “significant” operation hitting organised crime groups and gangs in the Bay of Plenty.
A recent five-day police operation arrested 25 people after police searched 39 properties across the region,District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson said in a statement.
The police, assisted by the Armed Offenders Squad in some cases, seized more than 80g of methamphetamine, 29 firearms, and $7610, and recovered two allegedly stolen vehicles and a stolen motorbike, he said.
Police have laid drug and firearm-related charges, and further charges and arrests were expected to follow.
Some of the accused had appeared in court and would reappear at later dates. Others were yet to be summonsed, he said.
More than 11,000 cannabis plants found
Operation Emerald targets large-scale drug cultivation, which police said gave gangs and organised crime a large income stream.
During the Bay operation, 11,372 cannabis plants – ranging in size from seedlings to 2m-high plants – were sprayed, recovered, or pulled from the ground.
The police recovered 729 plants at a Western Bay of Plenty address, 1.6kg of harvested cannabis at a Taupō property, and more than 4kg of edibles at an Eastern Bay address.
Anderson said illicit drug operations on a commercial scale strengthened organised crime groups and harmed communities.
He said the “significant” operation had culled an alleged “massive source” of funding for the Bay of Plenty’s organised crime groups and gangs.
“The Greazy Dogs gang will be feeling particularly hard hit, with more than 2500 plants removed from paddocks surrounding their gang pad and residential properties in Tauranga.”
‘Parasitic offending’
Anderson said the purpose of Operation Emerald was to target gangs and criminal entities, “whose parasitic offending feeds off our communities”.
The large-scale production of illicit drugs was a “high-risk” activity and those involved armed themselves as protection, increasing the risk to innocent people.
Anderson said several police officers were involved in the local phase of the operation and would continue to “keep the pressure on” criminal entities.
“We don’t want them here, we don’t need them here, and we will target their offending every chance we get.”
Operation Emerald is an annual police operation primarily targeting the illegal commercial cultivation of cannabis.
Drugs and social harm
The Drug Harm Index 2020 estimated cannabis caused $15,724 of social harm per kilogram consumed, amounting to about $911 million in social harm in communities each year.
It was believed the illegal sale of cannabis equated to $406m going back primarily to gangs and organised crime groups.
Operation Emerald last year prevented $126.8m in social harm to communities and prevented gangs and organised crime from earning $128m.
The 2022/23 operation resulted in 35,097 plants being seized or destroyed, along with 93.452kg of cannabis head and plant material, with a combined street value of $128m.
