Stolen goods found in police swoop

Photo / File

Drugs, guns and stolen property worth nearly $100,000 including a rare racing car have been discovered by police at a rural Northland home.

Police are thanking observant neighbours and second-hand scrap metal dealers for their help in tracking down the stolen items to a Ruatangata property last Friday.

The stolen property included a $60,000 Nissan Skyline racing car which is possibly the only one in New Zealand.

Eight guns that were stolen from a Kamo house, nine hot water cylinders, three motorbikes, a Polaris quad bike worth $12,000, a racing go kart and a wind turbine taken from a yacht at Onerahi and various tools and hardware equipment were all found during the search. Police also discovered an indoor cannabis operation in one of the bedrooms and also a small amount of methamphetamine.

Whangarei police Acting Senior Sergeant Dan Cleaver said it was after getting information from a scrap metal dealer police carried out the search.

"We maintain regular contact with second hand and scrap metal dealers, so thieves and burglars better beware that we will catch up with them if they try to sell any stolen items.

"We received information about some stolen water cylinders and we acted quickly to carry out a search of the address at Ruatangata.

"We ended up not only locating several cylinders, but a lot more stolen property." Mr Cleaver said finding the stolen firearms meant they would not fall into the hands of other criminals or gangs. It was also help from observant neighbours that lead police to the property where the stolen goods were housed.

It was a timely reminder for anyone who noticed suspicious activity on neighbouring properties to call police. He said the victims of the burglaries were very pleased to get their property back. Shelton Wihongi, 22, of Ruatangata, appeared in Whangarei District Court yesterday on eight burglary charges, two charges of careless driving, two of possession of utensils and one of cultivating cannabis. Bobby McDonald, 20, who listed her occupation as horticulture, also made a court appearance charged with cultivating cannabis, eight of burglary, possession of methamphetamine, and two of possession of utensils plus one of shoplifting. They were both remanded in custody.