Far North Police still looking for stolen digger after Puketona ram raid

Police are still looking for this digger and trailer, stolen from Puketona earlier this month.

Police are still appealing for sightings of the bright-orange Hitachi ZX17U-5A mini-excavator and trailer , which are yet to be found after the $250,000 ram raid at Broadspectrum's Puketona Quarry (Thieves relieved of huge haul, February 8).

Every other vehicle and piece of machinery was recovered at addresses at Waimate North and Waiotehue in the days following the raid.

Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the digger and/or trailer is asked to call Detective Sergeant Chris Fouhy at the Kaikohe police station on (09) 405 2960, or Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555-111.

The thieves also tried to torch a stolen truck in an Okaihau gravel pit when they realised it had a GPS tracking unit.

So far one person, an 18 year old from Waimate North, has been arrested, although police believe that a number of people were involved.

They also seized three firearms along with the stolen property.