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Three people have been arrested and are facing a raft of serious charges following a series of raids in the Nelson area.
The raids were part of the nationwide crackdown on gangs dubbed Operation Cobalt.
A 26-year-old man is face eight charges – two of aggravated robbery, one of kidnapping,unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a pistol, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of LSD.
A 22-year-old man faces two charges of aggravated robbery, two of perverting the course of justice, one of kidnapping, unlawful possession of ammunition, and breach of bail.
A police car during today's raids in Nelson. Photo / Supplied
Those two are remanded in custody to appear in Nelson District Court tomorrow.
A 52-year-old man is charged with aggravated robbery, and has been remanded in custody to appear in court on Friday.
Police said all of the men are linked to gangs.
"As part of Operation Cobalt, police will continue to send a clear message to gangs that their illegal activity will not be tolerated," said Detective Inspector Mark Chenery.
"Nelson Police have acted on information from the public, which has led to today's search warrants and subsequent arrests.
"Two firearms were also recovered, one a prohibited weapon.
"This type of offending is not something that we or the wider Nelson community should tolerate or accept, and it is pleasing to hold these offenders to account."
Chenery said the investigation around today's raids was still ongoing, with further people of interest being sought.
Anyone who has information on suspicious and/or potentially criminal activity is asked to get in touch with police via 105.
Last month police confirmed they were planning to launch Operation Cobalt - a dedicated operation across Auckland and smaller teams around the country to tackle the growing violence between gangs and intimidating behaviour in public.
The operation will run for at least six months, with a ring-fenced group of staff pooled from the Auckland, Counties and Waitemata police districts.
The other police districts will each be required to set up a unit focus on "suppressing, disrupting and enforcing" unlawful activity by gang members, in a crackdown that will be coordinated nationwide by a senior detective.
