The police's Operation Buckle put the squeeze arrested 13 people and raided 16 properties across Palmerston North, rural Manawatū, Whanganui, Auckland, and the Bay of Plenty. Two methamphetamine labs were shut down.
Police also seized a stolen 2.6-tonne digger valued at $35,000, four high-end cars, six custom Harley Davidson motorbikes, as well as cash and a range of drugs including cocaine, ecstasy, methamphetamine and cannabis.
One of the labs allegedly belonged to Allan, who the Crown says was manufacturing the drug for Richardson and Daron Gilmore, who would then on-sell it to a web of lower-level suppliers such as Liddington.
In May this year, Dwayne Morehu and Katrina Payne were sentenced for their roles in the same alleged meth ring.
Crown Summary
Crown prosecutor Deborah Davies told the court that Richardson and Daron Gilmore - who was convicted and sentenced to 10 years' jail in March - were dealing methamphetamine in Manawatū and would allegedly buy their product from senior Hells Angel Sisson.
She said their modus operandi was to collect enough cash from their clients before driving to Auckland to pick it up from Sisson directly.
"The big fish just rang me, I've gotta go right away," Richardson supposedly told a friend by text before one of the five alleged trips.
However, by March 2020, Gilmore and Richardson couldn't raise the capital to buy any more meth and were "frantically" dodging calls from Sisson while they called in debts from their own clients.
Their ability to travel to Auckland was also impaired by a nationwide lockdown in response to Covid-19, so they started making inroads to have the drug made locally, the Crown alleged.
Davies said they employed Allan - the Hells Angels central chapter treasurer - to start cooking the class A drug at his home in Palmerston North.
Precursor ingredients for Allan to start cooking were arranged and he got to work making it in a shipping container and in his garage, it was alleged.
The Crown says that by April 17 the first batch was made and texts were sent to Gilmore and Richardson's clients with messages such as "compliments to the chef" and "fresh out of the pot last night".
Then by the end of April, the pair made a trip to Auckland, allegedly to see Sisson and pay back their own debt.
However, while driving they failed to indicate twice and police stopped them, only for officers to find an imitation firearm in the car and search warrant the vehicle.
They found nearly $130,000 but let the pair go, while tracking them to Sisson's house in Auckland.
But this time the pair did not leave with any meth.
The Crown alleged this was because they were suspicious about police letting them go with so much cash.
In mid-June police searched Allan's house.
Allan saw police and ran to a shipping container on the property where he threw chemicals that were cooking in a pan outside and into the rain.
This was later tested by ESR and found to be ephedrine hydrochloride - a precursor ingredient in the manufacture of meth.
Police also found other chemicals as well as condensers, distillers, PH test strips and other equipment allegedly used to cook meth.
Hells Angels
Sisson's lawyer Mark Ryan told the jury that the Crown's opening statement did not constitute evidence.
"Please don't be swayed by what my learned friend tells you," he said.
"This case involves methamphetamine and gang members. You're not allowed to let prejudice against gang members or drug dealing affect your judgment."
Ryan said that his client did not conspire to sell methamphetamine with Gilmore, but has pleaded guilty already to some of the charges against him.
Allan's lawyer John Anderson told the court that his client's defence was straightforward.
"He simply didn't do the things he's accused of … It's as simple as that."
Richardson's lawyer Lucy Postlewaight said her client was not part of any meth ring or agreement with Allan or Sisson and simply drove Gilmore to Auckland because he didn't have a licence.
He admitted to using meth in small amounts but denies being part of the wider "gravy train".
Liddington represented himself but declined to make an opening statement.
