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Home / Northern Advocate

Campervan converted into meth lab

By Kristin Edge
Reporter·Northern Advocate·
30 Jun, 2016 08:32 PM2 mins to read

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A suspected methamphetamine lab was found inside a campervan in Moerewa on Monday.

A suspected methamphetamine lab was found inside a campervan in Moerewa on Monday.

From the outside it looks like a basic white campervan.

But inside the campervan it has been converted into a mobile methamphetamine laboratory.

Police discovered the converted campervan parked on a Moerewa property on Monday and have since been collecting evidence which will be tested to confirm methamphetamine was being produced.

The methamphetamine lab.
The methamphetamine lab.

Detective Inspector Kevin Burke said police had found what are believed to be chemicals and equipment used to make the highly addictive Class A drug.

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Mr Bourke said police were increasingly finding more of the smaller mobile meth labs in vehicles.

"It allows people the opportunity to move to different locations to carry out these cooks," Mr Burke said.

"Cooking in confined places is fraught with inherent risk and particularly dangerous if there are children present with such toxic chemicals being used."

Police have seized the campervan which will be forensically examined and depending on the contamination levels it could be destroyed.

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Officers were following positive lines of inquiries and had identified two people they would like to speak to in relation to the campervan.

Mr Burke did not believe the vehicle was linked to the record meth bust in the Far North earlier this month where police seized 496kg of meth after it was landed on Ninety Mile Beach. Some of the stash was found buried in sand dunes.

It is the biggest stash of methamphetamine police have discovered in New Zealand and has a street value of almost $500 million.

Seven people have so far been arrested over that haul.

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