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A warrant for the arrest of a 32-year-old Mongols gang associate will be issued later today for failing to turn up to a sentencing hearing, after being found in a $5.9m Remuera mansion with an assortment of high-powered firearms and ammunition.
The gang associate was due for sentencing at 10amtoday in Auckland District Court after being convicted of two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of a restricted magazine.
However, the court heard that the gang member’s lawyer, Bridget Lawler, did not know where her client was this morning, despite having messaged them several times.
Judge Debra Bell issued a warrant for the arrest of the gang associate that would take effect at 5pm today. Bell said she wanted to make sure the gang associate was fully aware they were due to appear in court today for sentencing before the warrant took effect.
The Mongols gang associate was found in September 2022 inside a mansion on Shore Rd in the affluent Auckland suburb of Remuera where police found an AR-15 firearm, a rifle, and a shotgun, along with various quantities of ammunition.
The AK-47 style semi-automatic rifle and two magazines taped together which police allegedly found in a car with a patched member of the Mongols gang. Photo / Supplied
The firearms and ammunition found inside a $5.9 million waterfront mansion where members of the Mongols motorcycle gang were living. Photo / Supplied
The raid on the property occurred on September 1, 2022, after police searched a vehicle outside the Shore Rd property in which they found a semi-automatic AK-47 rifle with two large magazines holding 40 rounds of ammunition - taped together for fast reloading - hidden under a blanket in the front passenger seat.
A 21-year-old occupant of the vehicle, who is a patched member of the Mongols, was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a restricted weapon and ammunition in a public place.
The Auckland District Court was today informed that the 32-year-old had not been bracelet monitored since July 4. The gang associate has “absconded” from his bail address, the court heard.
Court documents show the gang member had last year been living at a waterfront property on Shore Rd overlooking Hobson Bay, which has a council valuation of $5.9 million.
The raid was part of Operation Cobalt - police’s nationwide crackdown on gangs.
The discovery of a high-powered firearm near a gang member waiting in a car parked outside suggests the 21-year-old may have been on “guard duty” against potential threats from rival gangs.
The Mongols, who established chapters in New Zealand in recent years after senior members were deported from Australia, have been involved in a number of alleged shooting incidents with other gangs.
“This is a fantastic result for police and the community we are trying to keep safe through our ongoing disruption being directed at the Mongols,” Detective Inspector Aaron Proctor said in a statement.
“The public can expect police will continue to hold gangs to account for offending we are identifying through our disruption and suppression activity under Operation Cobalt.”
Of note, Proctor said paraphernalia from a number of different gangs was found at the Shore Rd address including patches from the Mongols, Comancheros and Bandidos.
