A police raid has landed a Northland man in court, where he will face a multitude of drugs, weapons and other serious charges.
The 47-year-old will appear in the Kaikohe District Court on December 14 after Northland police found more than $100,000 in cash, a caravan stolen from Tauranga worth $40,000, and methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $90,000 during a search of a Kawakawa property on Monday.
Around 50kg of iodine pellets with a street value of around $125,000 and used in the production of meth was also discovered by police.
Northland criminal investigation branch Detective Inspector Bridget Doell said further arrests were expected to be made.
Grim detail in kidnapping
New details have been revealed about the high-profile kidnapping of a man in the Far North.
Police have renewed an appeal for information about the October 26 incident, which they believed was linked to a separate incident a day later where a lone officer was fired at.
Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Dalzell said the man was kidnapped in his own vehicle – a 2010 Nissan Skyline, registration MWD839. At one point during the ordeal the man overheard his kidnappers planning to torch his vehicle, while he remained blindfolded and bound in the boot.
Anyone with information can call police on 105 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Interim transport chairman appointed
An interim chairman has been appointed to the Northland Regional Transport Committee, replacing regional councillor John Bain, who resigned mid-meeting last month in protest over a decision to bring in Māori wards. The new committee chairman is Rick Stolwerk, a second-term councillor representing the Whangārei South constituency. The regional council's deputy chairman and Hokianga-Kaikohe representative, Justin Blaikie, has also assumed several new roles including being chairman of the Regional Economic Development Service Delivery Working Party and filling the council's second seat on the transport committee.
Dead diver named
