12 arrests in big drug ring raid

Press, 2 May 1984, Page 1

12 arrests in big drug ring raid

PA Auckland The police believe they have smashed a big ring smuggling cocaine and other drugs. Early yesterday police and customs officers raided homes in and around Auckland. They arrested 10 people, seized one of the largest hauls of cocaine found in New Zealand, and also found more than 4kg of cannabis.

Two other persons were arrested after two drug squad detectives chartered a light plane to Paraparaumu. Those arrested had been chased at high speed around Otaki.

Officers said that the cocaine haul, with a street value of more than $150,000, is one of the largest found in New Zealand.

Using metal probes, the police found more than 500 grams of cocaine buried in thermos flasks in a pigeon coop and a fowl run at Takanini.

A police guard was kept at the property last night pending a full-scale search there today.

The arrests of the 12 people, who include a radio announcer, an airline steward, and two airline hostesses, came after two months of intense inquiries by detectives and customs officers.

Those arrested will appear in the District Court at Auckland today.

Four of them will face a charge of conspiring to import lysergide. They are an unemployed engineer, aged 32, of Papatoetoe, an unemployed painter, aged 28, of Western Springs, a waterside worker, aged 36, of Runciman, and an airline steward, aged 37. Those to face a charge each of procuring cocaine are an airline hostess, aged 27, a radio announcer, aged 29, a builder, aged 29, of Ellerslie, a horticulturist,

aged 28 and a man, aged 28, from Gratia.

A seaman, aged 35, will face a charge of possession of cannabis for supply, a stage promoter, aged 43, will face a charge of possession of cannabis and an airline hostess, aged 32, will be charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine. Acting on search warrants, 26 detectives and 18 customs officers with eight drug tracker dogs swooped on 11 homes around Auckland from- about 7 a.m. yesterday.

The arrests of an airline hostess and a horticulturist at Otaki came after officers searched a house at Oratia, in West Auckland. Detectives from Palmerston North chased the couple around streets in the Otaki area, caught them and took them to Paraparaumu police station. Two Auckland policemen, Detective Sergeant Peter Evans and Detective John Avery, arrived at Paraparaumu aerodrome in a chartered aircraft soon after and brought the couple back to Auckland.

Detective Inspector lan Hastings, officer in charge of the Auckland drug squad, said last evening that he believed they had cracked a big cocaine smuggling and dealing ring.

It remained to be seen if the cocaine being circulated in New Zealand was coming from one source.

“The proof will be when intelligence shows it has dried up with the cracking of the ring,” he said. Mr Hastings said reports from the United States indicated there was a massive over supply of cocaine there. Many Aniericari drug dealers were seeking new outlets and New Zealand was a possible market.

The police had noted an increase of cocaine available on New Zealand streets during the last year. The chief customs officer in charge of drug investigations in Auckland, Mr S. Hartley, said he considered the cocaine ring was a sophisticated syndicate. Mr Hartley who, with Detective Sergeant Paul Stevenson, directed the cocaine investigation, said, “It was sophisticated because it was successful. “It appears that this syndicate’s operation has been continuing for some consid-

erable time.” Mr Hartley said reports about the growing use of cocaine concerned his department because they showed the narcotic was being imported undetected. Cocaine was manufactured in several South American countries, mainly Columbia. It was usually sent to the west coast of the United States or Florida from where it was distributed. Mr Hastings said the Army would be asked to help police and customs officers in their search today of properties at Takanini and Runciman. He believed further caches of cocaine might be discovered.