Police at the scene of a methamphetamine lab raid on Taipuha Road, south west of Whangarei. PHOTO/John Stone
Drug manufacturers with Head Hunter gang links have owned an isolated Northland house that has produced millions of dollars worth of methamphetamine, since 2006.
Police yesterday raided the property in Taipuha Rd at Waiotira, between Whangarei and Paparoa, in a series of busts resulting in 14 arrests, among them several Head Hunters gang members and associates.
Northland police Detective Inspector Kevin Burke said police believe the property was bought to set up the factory-style laboratory for the large scale manufacture of methamphetamine (meth).
QV records show the current owner purchased the three-bedroom brick property in 2006 for $100,000 - $4000 above its CV.
Mr Burke said the property came to police attention during recent investigations and he could not comment on how long the house had been used as a drug base.
Police have been watching drug cooking and distribution activities for seven months in a covert operation called Operation Easter.
In November police stopped a Mercedes car on the Auckland motorway and found about 2.5kg of methamphetamine with a street value of between $2 million-$2.5 million.
The vehicle had been driven from Whangarei by two Head Hunter gang associates aged 17 and 18.
In one recent three-day period $3 million worth of meth was cooked at the Waiotira house, Mr Burke told a press conference in Whangarei yesterday.
The house was raided at 6am yesterday in a sting that also involved 16 other properties, most of them residential Whangarei addresses.
Fourteen people were to appear in Whangarei District Court yesterday and today on drugs, firearms and other charges.
Two generations of some families, three patched gang members and associates were among them.
Three clandestine labs, three firearms and a small amount of meth and cannabis were uncovered during the exercise.
The police were backed up by special operations units, including the Armed Offenders Squad at the Taipuha Rd scene. No one was at that address at the time.
Police believe the property was used purely as a lab, Detective Inspector Bruce Good, from the Organised and Financial Crime Agency NZ, said.
The operation had stemmed the tide of methamphetamine flowing through New Zealand.
"It's pretty big. In less than one week we observed the manufacture of $3 million of methamphetamine. This [outcome] will have ongoing effects," Mr Burke said.
However, it wasn't enough to turn that tide or take the Head Hunters and other criminal gangs out of the drug scene.
"Will it stop them, unfortunately no," Mr Good said.
Police believe the lab supplied much of the drug sold in the South Island.
ARRESTS:
Twelve of 14 people charged in relation to police Operation Easter appeared in the Whangarei District Court yesterday.
No plea was taken during the appearances of Brownie Harding, 38, Evanda Harding, 17, Joseph Harding, 61, Erima Latimer, 35, Sharn Keogh, 26, Elijah Rogers, 26, Anthony Mangu, 33 and Casey Rewha, 34.
Charges include:
Keogh - two of producing methamphetamine; one of offering to sell cannabis.
Evanda Harding - two counts of possession of pseudoephedrine; four of manufacturing methamphetamine; one of participating in an organised criminal group.
Rogers - possessing a precursor substance; possession of methamphetamine; possessing equipment for the manufacture of methamphetamine; offering to supply methamphetamine; possessing material for the manufacture of methamphetamine; participating in an organised criminal group; six of conspiring to supply methamphetamine; jointly charged with manufacturing methamphetamine.
Mangu - participating in an organised criminal group; seven counts of offering to supply methamphetamine; four of manufacturing methamphetamine; three of conspiring to supply methamphetamine.
Brownie Harding - conspiring to supply methamphetamine; supplying methamphetamine; possession of methamphetamine; supplying pseudoephedrine; six counts of manufacturing methamphetamine.
Latimer - jointly charged with conspiring to supply methamphetamine.
Joseph Harding - jointly charged with participating in an organised crime group.
Rewha - jointly charged with manufacturing methamphetamine and participating in an organised crime group.
Taylor Gavin, 24, Stephanie Samuels, 32, Jasmin Green, 21, and Wiremu Parao, 32, were remanded on bail to re-appear on different dates this month and next month.
They are believed to be facing less serious charges.
