Police have seized about $1 million of methamphetamine and arrested two senior gang members during raids in the Hawke's Bay town of Wairoa.
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Police said the warrants involved two senior patched members of the Wairoa-based Mongrel Mob Mongrelism chapter. Police recovered about 1kg of meth with an estimated street value of about $1m.
Police said the arrests come after recent gang violence in Wairoa which led to the arrest of a Mongrel Mob Aotearoa patched member for the stabbing of a rival gang member at the Z Energy forecourt on 23 December.
Police had also been involved in the investigation of another two shootings at gang addresses on 23 and 24 December.
Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Moorhouse said police were very pleased to prevent such a large amount of the drug from hitting the street.
"Wairoa as a community has clearly suffered from the impact of gang violence and the distribution of this highly addictive drug," he said in a statement.
"Police remain committed to preventing any violence and closing down the distribution of any illegal drug that causes harm to the community."