Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
A large amount of stolen jewellery and designer handbags has been recovered by Waikato police after they raided two houses in Hamilton and Huntly.
The jewellery included bags of pearls, rings, necklaces, watches and in some cases whole jewellery boxes full of items, as well as large amounts of gold.
Waikato Police Tactical Crime Unit Detective Senior Sergeant Ian Foster said some of the jewellery contained family heirlooms that would have "significant sentimental value" to the owners.
Among the find were also designer handbags by Prada, Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton alongside Givenchy and Hermes items in original packaging.
Police allege some of the items were on-sold.
Two men, aged 41 and 37 already faced 37 charges of burglary dating back to May, and Foster said more charges were likely against the pair after the houses were searched last Friday.
They appeared in the Hamilton District Court on Saturday and were remanded in custody to reappear this week.
Foster said police believed the goods came from homes in Hamilton and Auckland.
"There is a large volume of recovered items to work our way through and we are currently in the process of informing the victims that have been identified and we are still arranging for the return of some precious items.
"A lot of hard work has gone into this investigation by our teams and there is a lot more hard work to come."
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