Trio faces more than 60 meth-related charges

They were arrested in August 2011. Photo / Thinkstock

A jury trial for a family crime syndicate that allegedly used motels, bach-style accommodation, public storage units and yards to make methamphetamine will start in the High Court at Whangarei in just over a week.

Jayne Crompton, 46, Marc Ethelstone, 34, and Dean Frederick Theobald, 40, are facing more than 60 charges in relation to possession and manufacture of methamphetamine.

Crompton and Theobald are jointly facing three charges of manufacturing methamphetamine, two of possessing precursor substance, two of possession of equipment, two of possession of materials, two of possession of a firearm and single charges of possession of P for supply, possession of explosives, producing a precursor substance, supplying P and conspiracy to manufacture P.

The three are jointly charged with three counts of manufacturing P, three of possession of equipment, three of possession of materials, two of possession of a firearm and single charges of possession of P for supply, possession of explosives and possession of precursor substances.

Crompton and Ethelstone are jointly facing one charge of conspiracy to manufacture P.

Theobald is charged with possession of offensive weapon and aggravated assault.

Crompton is facing three charges of supplying P, 11 of offering to supply P, eight of conspiracy to supply P, three of conspiracy to manufacture P and two of conspiracy to supply materials.

Police believe the three have family connections in Northland and associates in South Auckland.

They were arrested in August 2011 for allegedly using top-end holiday accommodation in Northland and in Auckland to make the drug P.

Three methamphetamine, or P, labs were discovered in the raids on 10 properties in Whangarei, Wellsford and Auckland.

One lab was discovered in a Whangarei storage unit, while in Auckland another lab was operating out of a shipping container.

A third was in Pakiri, 25km east of Warkworth.

The searches uncovered 10g of methamphetamine as well as firearms, chemical components, utensils and some cannabis at the various lab sites.

During one of four search warrants carried out in Whangarei, police found cannabis oil, cannabis utensils, indoor cultivation equipment and two shotguns.

The group allegedly targeted accommodation along coastal areas of Auckland and Northland, and on beaches such as Pakiri.