Online grocers entered voluntary administration with PWC, study finds areas with more Airbnbs have higher rates of property crime and Kiwis are shopping up large for halloween season this year. Video / NZ Herald / Getty
A trio of prison inmates allegedly masterminded a plot to smuggle $70 million worth of drugs through the border, all while they were behind bars.
The shipment was delivered to a rural Auckland address in July, where detectives raided the property as four men, aged 18 to 28, were caught allegedly dismantling the machinery to find the drugs.
Two other men were arrested in Auckland over the following days, with all six defendants pleading not guilty to criminal charges laid by police in connection to the massive meth bust.
But the raids were kept quiet. Operation Brewer ran for another three months as investigators from the National Organised Crime Group tried to identify the ringleaders of the drug ring.
The methamphetamine concealed within the machine which was seized in Operation Brewer. Photo / NZ Police
Three men, aged between 27 and 36, were charged in September as the “alleged organisers and facilitators of the import”, Detective Inspector Tom Gollan said in a press release issued by the police.
The police estimated the 200kg of meth was valued at $70m if sold in retail amounts to users.
If sold at a conservative wholesale price of $150,000 per kilogram, the seized drugs could be worth more like $30m.
“This is another superb example of the collaborative partnerships within New Zealand and overseas to identify and arrest the people [allegedly] involved in importing this substantial amount of methamphetamine,” Gollan said.
“The social harm this amount of methamphetamine could have caused to the community is significant, and we are very pleased with the seizure.”
The identities of the three men who allegedly organised the 200kg importation have been suppressed until the next court appearance in December.
But the Herald can reveal that the trio were inmates at Rimutaka Prison at the time of the alleged offending, which again raises serious concerns about the apparent ease with which prisoners can access cell phones while in custody.
In the case of Operation Brewer, the police allege that the inmates used smuggled cellphones to give instructions to the crew allegedly caught dismantling the thresher machines.
A spokesperson for the Department of Corrections declined to comment on how the inmates allegedly obtained access to cell phones, as the matter was before the courts.
Speaking to the wider issue of contraband, the spokesperson said the safety and security of Corrections’ sites, staff and prisoners is a “top priority”.
Contraband includes alcohol, communication devices, drugs, drug paraphernalia, tattoo equipment, tobacco, weapons and other items that prisoners could use in inappropriate ways.
“Some prisoners go to extreme and elaborate lengths to introduce contraband into prison. Contraband may be concealed on a prisoner’s body when they come into the prison, posted in with mail or property, thrown over perimeter fencing, or smuggled into the prison by visitors,” the spokesperson said.
“Sometimes prisoners place a significant amount of pressure on their partners, friends or associates to risk attempting to bring contraband into prison for them.”
Corrections staff worked hard to stop contraband, the spokesperson said, as well as trying to “stay one step ahead” of any new methods.
This included searching people and vehicles entering prison grounds, using scanners and x-ray machines at entry points, “extensive” perimeter security, camera surveillance in visiting rooms, checking mail, monitoring of phone calls, sniffer dogs and banning visitors.
While prison authorities around the world struggle with all manner of contraband, smuggled cell phones are frequently found on prisoners in New Zealand and present an ongoing challenge for Corrections.
The Herald on Sunday last year revealed inmates were posting videos on popular social media apps like TikTok, prompting concerns from law enforcement that the posts glamourise a life of crime.
Jared Savage is an award-winning journalist who covers crime and justice issues, with a particular interest in organised crime. He joined the Herald in 2006, and is the author of Gangland and Gangster’s Paradise.
