Police raid in affluent Wellington suburb surprises locals

By Mary Argue of RNZ

A police raid at a property in an affluent Wellington suburb has come as a surprise to residents.

Two men were arrested on Thursday after a series of police searches in the suburbs of Khandallah and Hataitai that saw cash, cocaine, and cars seized.

Police have claimed the men were selling a significant amount of cocaine via social media and encrypted applications.

Khandallah residents reported seeing a flurry of police activity for several hours on Lucknow Terrace, with plain-clothed officers ferrying brown paper bags into unmarked cars.

Residents said the targeted house was known for its “expensive-looking, big cars” — reportedly a Mustang, a ute, and a BMW.

One witness said they did not hear anything out of the ordinary, “but when we saw the cars being towed, we realised something was off”.

Residents spoken to by RNZ said the street was a quiet one, with only the occasional disruption from people gathering at the nearby Nairnville Park.

They said the majority of houses were owner-occupied, though believed the one raided by police had been recently rented out.

Khandallah's Cashmere Avenue. Photo / Alex Ashton, RNZ

One resident, who RNZ agreed not to name, said the street was usually pretty quiet, so it was a surprise to see half a dozen cops “piling brown paper bags” out of the house.

“I was like, ‘What the hell is going on?’

“There were between four and six officers. They had two unmarked cars, and they were in plain clothes with the full police vest.

“They were just diving in and out of the house, looking very serious and bringing out armfuls of stuff. I noticed the two cars were gone.”

The resident said the cars stood out on the street, describing one as an “American muscle car — black with a green racing stripe” — and the other as a “big white ute”.

“Expensive-looking cars, big cars.”

In a statement yesterday, police confirmed two men had been arrested following a series of warrants executed in Khandallah and Hataitai.

Close to $50,000 in cash, three vehicles, and 9kg of cannabis with a street value of more than $75,000 was also seized.

Police said the searches came after a two-month investigation into the supply of drugs in Wellington, with police alleging the men were selling cocaine via social media — reaching an “audience of up to 500 people”.

The arrested men, aged 29 and 31, face charges related to the supply of cocaine, ketamine, MDMA and cannabis. One of the men also faces a money laundering charge.

A 29-year-old man appeared in Wellington District Court on Friday and was remanded in custody.

A 31-year-old man is due to appear on Monday.

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