Jones accuses gang of plundering crays for meth

Shane Jones calls the thefts particularly galling as they come off the legitimate quotas of hardworking catchers. Photo/Getty

New Zealand First Whangarei candidate Shane Jones has accused the Head Hunters gang of "plundering" Whangarei's crayfish industry, stealing the legitimate catches of quota holders to purchase methamphetamine ingredients.

Mr Jones, who spoke to the Northland Age after a TV3 investigation of "wholesale gang theft of this valuable lobster produce" (which the channel was scheduled to screen on last night's six o'clock news), labelled the gang an organised ring of heavy narco criminals.

"Their width and spread is chilling," he said.

"They are now systematically stealing lucrative lobster from the local industry, a particularly galling development, because lobsters that have been legitimately caught and then stolen come off the harvester's quota.

It's claimed legitimate crayfish catches of quota holders were being stolen to purchase methamphetamine ingredients. Photo/File

"This pillaged product is being used by the gangs as currency for their P trade, playing swapsies with Auckland villains who have the ingredients for meth manufacturing."

It was tragic for the Whangarei fishing industry, he added, that MPI officials knew what was happening but seemed powerless to stamp it out.

"This is an example of the effect of the Head Hunters criminality," Mr Jones said.

"It has gone viral in the North. The Whangarei facilities for P treatment are overloaded and gang burglaries are bulging. Both of these problems are traceable back to P addiction and P offences.

"No more excuses, no more empty promises from Police Commissioner Bush and futile P programmes from Paula Bennett.

"The police have to be resourced to wipe out this northern plague of organised crime.

"Our Whangarei cops need more support to shove the legal heel on the throat of the Head Hunters and starve them of their criminal oxygen.

Shane Jones accuses the Head Hunter gang of being involved with the crayfish thefts. Photo/File

"We need to take a far more ruthless approach against this gang.

"They want all the rights of living in our community but none of the obligations.

"They thrive on disorder, hunting as a pack and expanding their filthy P trade.

"When I am an MP I look forward to introducing legislation to cut the head off this gang, and they can go solitary hunting in Paremoremo."