Suspects' assets seized in drug blitz

It will be some time before they make their way through the court process, but assets including land, houses and cars, together worth millions of dollars, have already been seized by police from some of the more than 100 people arrested in the course of this year's annual drug blitz in the North.

The assets have been placed under restraining orders, which means they cannot be sold while their owners are dealt with by the courts. If they are convicted the properties may be sold by the Crown, under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act.

"One of our aims is to identify commercial growing operations and to hold persons responsible," Detective Senior Sergeant John Miller said at the conclusion of Operation Jasmin.

"Part of our enquiries is to find out who owns the land where the cannabis is being grown and place restraining orders on land and properties clearly used for any illicit drug trade."

The legislation allows for the restraint and forfeiture of assets acquired or derived from the proceeds of crime, and for the restraint and forfeiture of assets used during the commission of a crime. Land with multiple owners could also be placed under a restraining order, he added.

Houses in Kaitaia, Moerewa and Hikurangi had been seized, along with a house and land at Haruru Falls and a 24ha block, with beach access, at Te Tii, along with two vehicles, an Audi and a Subaru, valued at $60,000.

Detective Senior Sergeant Miller said a good cannabis growing season combined with excellent information from the public had enabled police to destroy huge commercial crops, particularly in the Kaitaia area, where nearly half the 67,191 plants were destroyed. That was the second-highest number of cannabis plants ripped out or sprayed in the course of the annual operation, well up on the previous year's 46,224.

Detective Senior Sergeant Miller said drug dealing and organised crime were money-motivated crimes, and the proceeds of crime legislation, which stripped criminals of money and assets, was a real deterrent that would be used more.

"We got huge help from the community, with use of the Crimestoppers number (0800 555-111) getting better every year. People are feeling confident about using it, and they also see action taken," he added.

There was more to Operation Jasmin than cannabis though. Two methamphetamine labs were discovered, one, near Kaikohe, yielding 17 ounces of pure methamphetamine with a potential street value of nearly $500,000. It was the second-biggest meth seizure ever made by Northland police. Almost half a kilo of pseudoephedrine, enough to make $350,000 worth of methamphetamine, was found on the same property.

A total of 112 arrests were made, police recovering 21 firearms, four stolen vehicles, two stolen quad bikes, a stolen boat, nearly $50,000 in cash and $14,300 worth of other stolen tools.

"I'd like to be in a position in years to come where these figures start going down, so we are actually reducing the amount of cannabis and meth out there," Detective Senior Sergeant Miller said.

And there was bycatch, police issuing 314 traffic offence notices at checkpoints set up in the course of the operation, while four referrals were made to the Ministry for Primary Industries following the discovery of a number of people in possession of excess and undersize paua in the Kaitaia area.