Shane Jones calls the thefts particularly galling as they come off the legitimate quotas of hardworking catchers. Photo/Getty
Shane Jones calls the thefts particularly galling as they come off the legitimate quotas of hardworking catchers. Photo/Getty
New Zealand First Whangarei candidate Shane Jones has accused the Head Hunters gang of "plundering" Whangarei's crayfish industry, stealing the legitimate catches of quota holders to purchase methamphetamine ingredients.
Mr Jones, who spoke to the Northland Age after a TV3 investigation of "wholesale gang theft of this valuable lobster produce"(which the channel was scheduled to screen on last night's six o'clock news), labelled the gang an organised ring of heavy narco criminals.
"Their width and spread is chilling," he said.
"They are now systematically stealing lucrative lobster from the local industry, a particularly galling development, because lobsters that have been legitimately caught and then stolen come off the harvester's quota.
It's claimed legitimate crayfish catches of quota holders were being stolen to purchase methamphetamine ingredients. Photo/File
"This pillaged product is being used by the gangs as currency for their P trade, playing swapsies with Auckland villains who have the ingredients for meth manufacturing."
It was tragic for the Whangarei fishing industry, he added, that MPI officials knew what was happening but seemed powerless to stamp it out.
"This is an example of the effect of the Head Hunters criminality," Mr Jones said.
"It has gone viral in the North. The Whangarei facilities for P treatment are overloaded and gang burglaries are bulging. Both of these problems are traceable back to P addiction and P offences.
