Up to $3000 worth of methamphetamine has been seized in an alleged drug-running bust by police north of Napier.
The methamphetamine - 25g able to be sold at $100-$150 a gram - was found when a vehicle was stopped near Bay View on Wednesday.
Motorists said they had seen armed police, at
least two people on the ground in one incident in the area. But nothing was confirmed until late yesterday when a prepared statement announced the arrests of two women, one aged 31 from Hastings and the other, 23, also from Napier, along with a 40-year-old Hastings man.
Eastern Police communications manager Kris McGehan said she was unable to confirm whether armed police had been involved in the arrests.
The man and the older woman face drug-dealing charges and have been remanded in custody to appear in Hastings District Court today, and the younger woman has been bailed to appear in September on a charge of possessing methamphetamine for supply.
The arrests came after police targeted the group as part of an ongoing focus on methamphetamine manufacturers, suppliers and users, leading also to the discovery of a variety of stolen goods in a search at the man's address yesterday.
Included were a laptop, tools, clothing, air rifles, ornamental swords, power tools and hand tools.
Hastings CIB head Detective Senior Sergeant Dave de Lange said police were concerned at the amount of stolen property found at the house.
"This indicates that the drug trade is one of the driving forces behind dishonesty offending," he said.
"This is likely to be one of the reasons the burglary rate is relatively high in Hawke's Bay at the moment. There is a direct link between drugs and burglary and theft.
"Stolen property is regularly used to pay drug debts."
Methamphetamine continued to cause police concern and there would be a constant focus on users, dealers and manufacturers in Hawke's Bay, Mr de Lange said.
Police also relied heavily on information from the public to help stamp out the drug trade in the region.
