A Mongols motorcycle recovered as part of Operation Silk. Photo / NZ Police
A Mongols motorcycle recovered as part of Operation Silk. Photo / NZ Police
A Mongols president's alleged "extremely bad" cocaine habit saw him directing a key crown witness to go to Auckland about twice a week to pick up ounces of the drug.
Giving his second day of testimony, the key witness, who has name suppression, told a jury in the High Court at Hamilton that 'el presidente' Jim Thacker would use "easy one ounce a week" of cocaine a week.
He told Crown prosecutor Anna Pollett he would make two trips a week to Auckland for Thacker.
He would also pick up larger, and better quality cocaine, up to 5kg packages, from other contacts in Napier and elsewhere.
He also picked up methamphetamine from one of the nine accused who had a strong Australian accent.
The first time he met the accused – who also has name suppression - was at the McDonald's airport car park, other times it was the Auckland Airport lookout or supermarkets.
"He pulled up beside me and wound down the passenger window and then he leant forward … he's got a very Aussie voice, I suppose you could call it, it's unmistakable.
"And he says 'how ya going lad?'", in a strong Australian accent, sending a light chuckle around the accused in the public gallery.
He was then allegedly given 2kg of methamphetamine and they both left.
Nine Mongols members, including president Jim Thacker – known as "JD", "Jack Daniels", or "the Cap", is alleged to have had overarching control of its drug dealing operation – and vice president Hone Ronaki are defending 118 charges related to drug dealing and supply, firearms, aggravated robbery, and money laundering.
The other defendants are the South Island president Jason Ross, 46, sergeant at arms Leon "the Wolf" Huritu, 39, Kelly Petrowski, 28, Matthew Ramsden, 45, Kane Ronaki, 24, Te Reneti Tarau, 26, and a 28-year-old man with interim name suppression.
The accused are either "office holders", members, or associates of the Mongols from around the country, including Hawke's Bay, Christchurch and Auckland.
The Crown alleges they were responsible for the commercial supply of drugs throughout New Zealand and were involved in "tit-for-tat" shootings with rival gangs, including one in Tauranga, where Mongols members fired 96 rounds of ammunition at a house where children were.
After arriving back in the Bay of Plenty with the 2kg of meth, the witness said he was then directed by Thacker to deliver it to Ross, nicknamed 666, in Christchurch.
A car left pelted with bullet holes parked at a Haukore St, Tauranga Mongrel Mob home, was allegedly caused by members of the Mongols gang. Photo / Sandra Conchie
While picking up a 2008 Toyota Corolla for him to use from Auckland with the same accused, they enjoyed a beer and bowl of chips, before getting to the car only to find it had no plates.
They then had to go to an "Indian transport place" to pick some up.
The corolla was recommended to use as it had a good "stook" or storage spot for hiding drugs, in the centre console near the cup holder, he said.
"But it wasn't any good because you couldn't get a kg in there," he said.
He also spoke of picking two AR15s and magazines which he claimed would be used on the "81s" or the Hells Angels gang.
However, while he delivered the guns he took the magazines home so that if there was a "shit storm... nothing could come back on me".
"The plan with the AR15s was to hit the 81s ... the Hells Angels."
He also recalled driving Thacker down Auckland's Queen St as he smoked "big joints" out the window.
They parked up and walked into Louis Vuitton where Thacker, wearing his white long sleeve Mongols top, spent nearly $20,000 on T-shirts and handbags for family.
Thacker paid using so much cash, from his Louis Vuitton side bag, that the staff member had to bring out a money machine to help count it.
The group then moved on to Footlocker where 11 pairs of shoes were bought, including two for himself, totalling $2300.
The witness claimed Thacker told him that the Auckland accused bought "all the boys", aka patched members, jet skis.
Asked if he'd seen them, he replied, "yep, I rode them".
After his three trips picking up the P, he then began "cutting it" or extracting an ounce a time from the kgs of the "dirty" meth and "bulking it up" with MSM, which he described as a "natural joint pain supplement".
He said the clean meth wasn't bulked up and was sold pure.
The 3kg of "dirty meth" was picked up from an "Asian looking student in the CBD in Auckland", named "Lam".
"He came around the corner carrying a backpack, slipped it off his shoulder and shoved it to me. I threw it in the car and took off."
When asked why it was dirty, he said it looked like the meth had been laid out while someone mowed some grass, spraying "pubes of grass in it".
It was also "brown, dirty" coloured, as opposed to pure meth which looked like "glass".
The witnesses' evidence continues, while the trial itself is set to continue until the end of October and is being overseen by Justice Melanie Harland.
