KEY POINTS:
Police have seized cash and drugs worth nearly $10 million, a $150,000 car and three homes during swoops on drug syndicates in the past two weeks.
The cash, which in one case was too bulky to fit into the boot of a police car, is alleged to have been the profits of dealing in methamphetamine, the highly addictive and destructive drug known in its pure form as P.
Superintendent Ted Cox, commander of Auckland police's metro crime and operations support, said police had mounted five operations in the past fortnight, most in Auckland.
They have targeted distribution and money laundering rings.
They have seized methamphetamine worth $4.46 million, firearms and stolen property, a car, three houses worth up to $1.5 million and $4.76 million in cash.
More than 35 people have been arrested.
In the most recent operation, after which two people were charged with money laundering, $950,000 was found at one house, some of it hidden under beds.
Earlier in the week $250,000 was seized from people arrested during Operation Ice Age, and $2.5 million was later found at a business.
In May, police and Customs officers seized methamphetamine and pseudoephedrine worth $135 million hidden inside two shipping containers.
Mr Cox said the the operations - many of which involved up to a year of investigations - would hopefully reduce the supply of drugs by disrupting some groups and putting others out of business.
"However, experience also tells us that the profits from this type of criminal activity will lead others to become involved and the networks to quickly re-establish."
Mr Cox said most of the people arrested were part of organised criminal syndicates. Some were gang members, mainly at the lower end of the chain.
Mr Cox said research was continuing into understanding the drug market and designing ways of disrupting it. Results due next year would hopefully show how much effect the police operations had on the availability of methamphetamine and for how long.
Giving people good information that deterred them from taking drugs or helped them with addictions would help reduce the demand for drugs and increase community safety.
Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell said the results of the recent operations showed that the Government's focus and allocation of resources in the last Budget for dealing with the methamphetamine problem was paying off.
But he agreed with Mr Cox that the problem would start to abate only once the demand for the drugs was reduced.
For that to happen, education and dealing with drug addiction had to be given the same amount of money as police and Customs got.
"We need to have a better balance between the good work of police and Customs, but also new drug prevention and demand reduction programmes. Some of that would include better drug education in schools.
"If we put the same investment into schools that we have given to police and Customs, in the long term that would be better use of resources."
Dope busts
* Operation Major, May: 95kg of crystal meth, 150kg of pseudoephedrine and firearms seized. The drugs, valued at up to $135 million, were hidden in two shipping containers. Seven arrests.
* Operation Manu, 12-month investigation ending last week: $1.5 million of meth and $867,000 cash seized. Sixteen arrests.
* Operation Hose, last week: Targeting street dealing syndicate. $1.5 million of meth and $193,000 cash seized. Three properties held, pending "proceeds of crime" action.
* Operation Dolmio, Tuesday: Targeting a Christchurch supply network allegedly obtaining drugs from Auckland. Meth valued at $90,000, guns and stolen property found at an Auckland house. Nine arrests.
* Operation Ice Age, this week: Targeting a distribution ring and money laundering in Auckland. Ten arrests during operation. About 55g of meth found. Cash seized - $250,000 from individuals and $2.5 million from a business.
* Operation Palace/Lotus, this week: Street-level dealing and money laundering. A $150,000 car, firearms and $950,000 in cash seized. Two arrests.
