Today Police executed over 30 search warrants across the North Island as part of Operation Highwater, a concentrated operation targeting members and associates of the Mongrel Mob Barbarian MC East Bay chapter based in Opotiki.
NZ Police National Organised Crime Group commenced Operation Highwater in December 2023 following an increase in occurrences of violent crime and other offending in Opotiki, in Eastern Bay of Plenty.
Today’s search warrants spanned Eastern Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Auckland, Rotorua, Taupo, Wellington, and Hawke’s Bay, targeting identified people believed to be involved in a North Island-wide drug distribution network, including methamphetamine and cannabis.
Police arrested a total of 28 people, seized illegal drugs and firearms and restrained assets. Provisional results are as follows.
Arrests by Police District:
- Bay Of Plenty – 18
- Auckland – 3
- Waikato – 3
- Wellington – 2
- Eastern – 2
Restrained assets:
- One residential property
- Four cars
- One jetski
- Two trailbikes
- One Harley Davidson motorcycle
- Approx. $86,000 in a bank account
- Approx. $20,000 value of jewellery
- Approx. $65,500 cash
- Approx. total value of assets restrained of $800,000.
Seizures include:
- Six firearms including five rifles and a 3D-printed pistol
- Quantities of illegal drugs including 12 lbs of cannabis and smaller quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine
- 13 Mongrel Mob Barbarian Patches.
The investigation team is now in the process of filing charges and confirming court dates.
Today’s actions follow the execution of warrants in the Coromandel area over several days in August this year, after the Operation Highwater investigation team identified a flow of methamphetamine into the area. Police completed 12 search warrants in Whitianga and Coromandel resulting in six arrests and the seizure of methamphetamine, cannabis and a firearm.
This is an example of the “all-of-Police” approach, which has seen several workgroups across Police working together toward a shared goal. The operation has been led by the National Organised Crime Group, supported by specialist groups and District Staff. Staff from the Police Partnership and Harm team will support the community wrap-around process during and after today’s termination.
Today’s search warrants are the culmination of a 10-month investigation, during which instances of serious violence were detected and prevented by Police.
One such incident saw Police deploy to Opotiki, after receiving information about a planned drive-by shooting at a local marae.
Quick action meant Police located and seized three firearms, including a high-powered rifle, shotguns and ammunition, preventing what could have been a serious incident.
Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson says that today is a good day for Opotiki.
“The termination of this operation is a clear message to gang members selling illegal drugs across the Bay of Plenty that we will find you and you will be held accountable for your destructive behaviour.
“We will continue to relentlessly pursue criminals who prey on our communities and cause a huge amount of harm and misery in their own communities with their drug dealing and violent behaviour.
“From my travels around the Bay of Plenty, the feedback from different iwi leaders and the wider community is that they’ve had enough of this type of criminal offending.
“I’d like to thank the community members who have reported this type of offending and I encourage them to keep reporting these drug dealers to us via 105 and Crimestoppers reporting lines.
“I’d also like to acknowledge and thank our organised crime detectives for their tireless work and dedication, as well as all our policing teams across the Bay of Plenty who are making arrests every day to make us all much safer.
“Yesterday we stood up our district Gang Disruption Unit and this new team is also in the Eastern Bay of Plenty targeting gang members as we speak. They, and all our staff across the Bay, will continue to work hard every day to make our communities safer.
“I’m proud of the work our officers carry out every day, and results such as we’ve seen today are testament to their hard work.”
Gang members commit a disproportionate amount of crime and harm in New Zealand, and particularly in the areas of serious assault, robberies, drug and firearms offences, and homicides.
“We continue to have a strong focus on disrupting unlawful activity by gang members and their associates, and holding offenders to account for crimes committed.
“Police urge anyone who has concerns about criminal offending by gangs in their community to contact Police so it can be investigated.“
Call 111 if there is an incident happening now or make a report via 105 online if it is not an emergency situation.
Information can also be provided anonymously through Crimestoppers at 0800 555 111.
