Customs intelligence report, obtained exclusively by the Herald, reveals ‘insider threats’ grow as organised crime gangs expand in New Zealand. Video / Ben Dickens / Michael Morrah
A high-ranking gang member was arrested by police waiting at the Auckland International Airport when he returned to New Zealand to attend a funeral.
He has been charged with importing and supplying a Class-A drug, money laundering, and participating in an organised criminal group.
He has been granted interim name suppression until his next court appearance in August.
A senior gang member was arrested at the airport as he returned to New Zealand for a funeral and charged with serious drug offending, the Herald can reveal.
Photos and videos recently posted to social media show the influential gangster shopping for designer clothes and driving expensive cars.
He hasattributed his wealth and success to running legitimate businesses.
But for several years, the police have suspected the gang boss was making money from a different kind of business.
In February, detectives laid charges in the Manukau District Court which alleged that he had supplied methamphetamine as far back as January 2023, participated in an organised criminal group, and been involved in $400,000 of money laundering.
However, the prosecution was kept quiet so the police National Organised Crime Group could work with authorities overseas to arrest and then extradite the influential gang member back to New Zealand to stand trial.
The extradition process can take months, if not years.
But the police were caught by surprise when the principal target of the covert investigation returned to New Zealand of his own accord.
He had flown back to attend a funeral, but was instead greeted by police waiting at the Auckland International Airport.
He was arrested and appeared in the Manukau District Court to face further charges of importing and supplying methamphetamine, a Class-A drug, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
There was also a further charge of conspiring with fellow gang members to import methamphetamine.
He was denied bail but was granted interim name suppression until his next court appearance in August.
The non-publication orders also prevent the identification of the gang he belongs to, among other details.
Despite the suppression orders, a supporter sitting in the public gallery took a photograph of him standing in the dock, which is against court rules.
The image was then posted to social media by a member of the gang.
Several other members of the same gang chapter have been arrested and charged with drug dealing offences in recent months as part of the same covert investigation.
The arrest of the high-ranking gang member is the latest in a series of drug investigations by the National Organised Crime Group which span the globe.
Cash and methamphetamine seized in a police investigation into a transnational organised crime group. Despite the best efforts of law enforcement, an expert group says NZ is losing the war on organised crime. Photo / NZ Police
In recent years, there have been record-breaking drug busts at the border as global crime syndicates – including Mexican cartels and outlaw motorcycle gangs – have targeted New Zealand as a small but lucrative market.
But despite more drugs being seized than ever before, the consumption of methamphetamine more than doubled in 2024 to the highest levels recorded in national wastewater testing, as previously revealed by the Herald.
In June last year, just over 15kg of meth was being detected each week. For the next six months, weekly consumption exceeded 29kg and peaked at 39kg in October.
The spike last year was “dire” and showed that police and Customs were “swimming against the tide” despite their best efforts, according to a ministerial advisory group appointed by Cabinet in February.
“Availability of methamphetamine is one indicator that organised crime is thriving in New Zealand. This is sadly having a devastating impact on the lives of many New Zealanders,” the advisory group wrote in its first report in March.
The independent panel is chaired by Steve Symon, a veteran prosecutor and senior partner at law firm Meredith Connell, and reports to Casey Costello, the Customs Minister and Associate Police Minister.
“New Zealand is losing the fight against transnational, serious, organised crime. This is not from a lack of will. The people involved, and the agencies they work for, are dedicated and passionate … but current activities are not keeping pace with the accelerated growth of organised crime,” according to the group’s March report.
“Successive Governments have set ambitious targets. There have been endless reports, committees, sub-committees, and working groups talking about these strategies. Despite these efforts, organised crime is worse than ever and continues to grow.”
The advisory group is likely to recommend “bold steps” over the next six months to strengthen anti-money-laundering measures and achieve better information-sharing between government departments.
Jared Savage covers crime and justice issues, with a particular interest in organised crime. He joined the Herald in 2006 and has won a dozen journalism awards in that time, including twice being named Reporter of the Year. He is also the author of Gangland and Gangster’s Paradise.
