A large amount of cannabis, a gun and ammunition have been seized from a Whangārei house by police, and two people have been charged with drug dealing.
Photo: 123RF
A 40-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man were charged after a search warrant was executed on Thursday at a house in the suburb of Tikipunga, police said.
Detective Sergeant Shane Pilmer described the house as linked to a gang.
A pump-action firearm, ammunition, large quantity of cannabis and more than $1400 in cash was seized, he said.
The woman was arrested and charged with supply of methamphetamine and cannabis, and was due to reappear reappear at Whangārei District Court on 10 June.
The man was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of cannabis for supply and a representative charge of selling cannabis. He was due to reappear in the Whangārei District Court in July.
Auckland and other areas have been reeling from a string of shootings and disorder which police have blamed on gang tensions. Yesterday a man was critically injured in a shooting near Papakura District Court and police station, and two shooting incidents were reported in Auckland the day before.
In February last year police announced they would be targeting firearms possessed by gangs, in Operation Tauwhiro. By September [last year they reported that more than 987 guns and nearly $5 million in cash had been seized, and 865 people had been arrested.
Pilmer said Operation Tauwhiro was ongoing, and police wanted to hear from anyone with information about illegal firearms or drug dealing.
"Police will continue to actively target those with links to organised crime and those involved in the sale and supply of methamphetamine in our community," he said.
"The ongoing supply of any illicit drug in our communities results in huge social harm, negative health implications and financial harm, particularly to drug users and their families."