There have been two months of gang clashes in Hawke's Bay and Gisborne. A gang source told the Herald an influx of meth has inflamed the violence. Composite photo / NZ Herald
There have been two months of gang clashes in Hawke's Bay and Gisborne. A gang source told the Herald an influx of meth has inflamed the violence. Composite photo / NZ Herald
One gang source told the Herald he believes rogue behaviour has been inflamed by an influx of meth.
Police say the violence – including houses being shot – is putting lives at risk, and some serious incidents aren’t even being reported.
Drug use and provocative Facebook posts are behind the recent violent clashes between Mongrel Mob and Black Power members along the North Island’s east coast, according to a gang source.
A Gang Conflict Warrant gives police special powers to search vehicles of suspected gang members and to seize firearms, weapons and vehicles.
Police say they are carrying out a “significant operation” in response to the escalating rivalry, which has included houses being shot at in Wairoa, gang associates gathering around a home in Napier, vehicles being rammed and other acts of violence not officially reported.
Things don’t happen out of nothing. If you are using meth, you are ... in a heightened state of arousal, therefore more likely to do outrageous things
But a well-placed gang source told the Herald that while the incidents involved gang members, the tensions were not part of a turf war between rival gangs and were not ordered by gang leadership.
“I could say that with some confidence,” he said.
Instead, he believed members and associates – some under the influence of methamphetamine – were acting independently of gang leaders.
Gang associates going rogue
That included a stand-off outside the Napier home of a gang leader the source said was sparked by online comments made by the man’s niece about a rival gang.
“A young woman from up the line put some stuff on Facebook and stirred some s*** down here,” the gang source told the Herald.
“Then all these young fellas turned up at the house of her uncle and that blew up into a bit of a scene. There were young fellas, mainly in their teens, in and around a suburban house.”
Many of the incidents of rising gang tension in the Eastern police district over the past two months have been in Wairoa. Photo / Neil Reid
Police have not spoken about what they believe has sparked the outbreak of violence in the Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti regions.
But they have called for the “unsettling and frightening” scenes to end, and are working with gang leaders to calm the situation.
Police were given extensive new powers after the election of the National-headed coalition to target gangs. Photo / Michael Craig
“That is more likely to explain some of the behaviours” he said.
“Things don’t happen out of nothing. There is some causal behaviour there. If you are using meth, you are more likely to be in a heightened state of arousal, therefore more likely to do outrageous things.”
In just two months, Customs has halted the importation of at least 220kg of methamphetamine - and it’s anyone’s guess how much of it successfully got through.
The drugs had originated from North America and Malaysia. One of the busts had a street value of almost $20 million.
Customs recently arrested three airport workers in relation to the smuggling of 58 kg of methamphetamine. Photo / Customs
Police confirmed they have arrested and charged several people with drug possession and other drug-related offences on the East Coast since invoking the Gang Conflict Warrant.
Detective Inspector Dave De Lange, of the Eastern police district, told the Herald officers were taking a zero-tolerance approach to illegal gang-related activity across the region.
“We will not tolerate this dangerous and disruptive behaviour, and we are continuing to commit significant resources to holding gang members accountable for their actions,” De Lange said.
Some of the $100,000 seized at a gang headquarters in Napier as part of a police crackdown on Mongrel Mob and Black Power activities in Hawke’s Bay and Tairawhiti. Photo / Supplied
“The recent uses of the Gang Conflict Warrant have given us greater ability to undertake activities which have led to numerous arrests.”
Detective Inspector Dave de Lange, right, says police will not tolerate gang issues and has urged anyone with information to contact police. Photo / TVNZ1
Police told the Herald they were also aware of a number of serious incidents in Wairoa that had not been reported to them.
They include assaults, vehicle rammings and other threatening behaviour.
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 33 years of newsroom experience.
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