KEY POINTS:
A large digger was yesterday called in to help in the search for firearms in Invercargill, after a tip-off from the Mongrel Mob leader there.
Southland police area commander Tony O'Neill last night confirmed police were looking for firearms and other devices on land "in the vicinity" of the Mongrel Mob headquarters, in Severn St.
There was a limited number of police involved and they were following up leads provided by gang leader Shaun Newton-Te Kahu, he told the Southland Times.
It is not yet known if anything was found in the search but Mr O'Neill said a police briefing would be held today.
The gang, which has a relatively low public presence in Southland, has become more prominent after police action against the gang earlier this month.
Police executed search warrants on two gang properties after city pharmacies reported gang associates trying to buy pseudoephedrine-based products, a key precursor substance used in the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine, or P.
Mr Newton-Te Kahu and Mongrel Mob Mataura member Bill Elers went public this month, saying the Invercargill chapter wanted the gang to change direction, providing a better future for its families and moving away from its violent past.
- NZPA
