P-lab bust shows growing link to illegal arms

Police say the seizure of weapons at a rural Waikato property during a P-lab bust highlights the worrying link between drugs and illegal firearms.

Waikato detectives and members of the armed offenders squad swooped on the rented Ohinewai property on Tuesday afternoon and found a methamphetamine laboratory in its "preliminary stages" and significant quantities of chemicals used to manufacture the drug.

Police would not reveal what quantity of the drug was in the laboratory or what weapons or ammunition were found.

They confirmed only that a silencer-equipped firearm had been recovered.

Two people were arrested - one was charged in relation to drug manufacturing - and Detective Sergeant Rod Carpinter said more people were to be interviewed.

Mr Carpinter said the bust highlighted the risk to the public and police from links between the illicit drugs trade and illegal firearms.

"More often than not we are finding it necessary to deploy armed police in support of such investigations as offenders involved in the drugs trade or dishonestly offending to pay for their drug habits take to arming themselves," he said.

"Waikato police are conscious of the effects drugs like methamphetamine have on our community, from the need to fund drug use through the proceeds of burglary through to the risks associated to properties from explosion or chemical contamination.

"We hope results such as this will go some way to disrupting the drugs [supply]."

The communications manager for the Waikato police, Andrew McAlley, said the recovery of firearms at clandestine P laboratories was becoming a "far more frequent occurrence".

He said that offenders needed to interact with organised criminal groups such as gangs to maintain their activities and this often resulted in standovers or intimidation, leading some to arm themselves for protection.

"This proliferation of illegally held firearms presents a risk not only to our staff but to the public and even to the offenders themselves."

Mr McAlley said the arrests were not related to last month's drug-related raids across the North Island in which police seized expensive cars and motorbikes,guns, drugs and more than $120,000 in cash.