Whakatane police search for stolen trailer owner

Whakatane police are looking for the owner of a trailer recovered as part of a large haul of valuable tools and machinery last week.

Police carried out a search warrant at a Whakatane address and found thousands of dollars' worth of tools and equipment stolen from Whakatane and Waikato burglaries.

Senior Constable Helen Hay said police had found owners for a large amount of the property but still had a way to go to.

"We have made a lot of progress and it has been great to return stolen goods to the rightful owners," Mrs Hay said.

"But we still have more to get back to the right people."

Police believe the 5m trailer has been stolen during the past year and looks like it may have been used to transport large machinery.

"I'm not an expert on trailers but I'd say it would be worth a fair bit of money."

If anyone has any information or recognises the trailer, please phone Whakatane Police on (07) 308 5255 and ask for the Tactical Crime Unit.

A 33-year-old man is appearing in the Whakatane District Court today on charges of receiving stolen property, a number of drugs offences and unlawful possession of a firearm in relation to the search warrant.