New drugs clique blamed for killing

Press, 10 July 1979, Page 6

New drugs clique blamed for killing

PA Auckland it A vicious and brutal clique,J has emerged recently within the Auckland drug world and 1( was responsible for the kil-i, ling of a young cabaret hos-i[ tess nine days ago, say Auck-I land detectives. This group had left most; people in the drug scene: shocked and horrified by their j actions, said the head of the: inquiry, Detective Inspector! B. J. Rowe. last As detectives had probed deeper into the shooting ofj Miss Margaret Bell at the' Mainstreet Cabaret. Queen j Street, early on the morning-: of July 1. they had moved' much closer to this group 1 and learned much of its activ-l ities, he said. The group used tactics!] which were quite foreign to i other members of the Auck-" land drug world, said In-! specter Rowe. He was quite.< sure the others did not wish'.

ito see the type of violence,!: they had been involved in, t [continuing much longer. if “I am sure most of the [others would be very happy 1 | to see this inquiry brought x to a successful conclusion,” t !he said. t Investigations had already ' , revealed two “near misses” I las well as the killing. j In each case the victim, i being pressed by members of < the group, had suffered < serious injuries, and had been i i fortunate not to have been j {killed. i In both incidents. which In- i I spector Rowe said had oc- ] ■curred recently, firearms , were not used. In neither , .case had a complaint been s 1 made to the police. [ From the way the trend I I had been developing, it 1 I seemed inevitable there i would be a killing. | a It was this particular area) iof the drug field with which r 'the woman, whom the policeif

believe was the intended victim in the cabaret shooting, had been involved. Detectives believe that at least four people were involved in an attempt to kill a woman known to frequent the cabaret, where Miss Bell worked as a hostess. They believe the gunman was a “junkie.” The intended victim, slightly older but bearing some similarities to Miss Bell, is still being protected by the police. The police are still seeking information about a 1965 or 1966 A? 5 or AP6 Valiant, with patchy paintwork, which was seen double-parked outside the cabaret. They believe a highpOwered. low-calibre rifle was used in the shooting, but this is expected to be confirmed after scientists have finished examining bullet fragments found at the scene.