Police raids hit heroin supply

Press, 7 August 1985, Page 1

Police raids hit heroin supply

Staff reporter and PA Supplies of heroin in New Zealand-are expected to fall dramatically after Monday evening’s simultaneous drug raids in five cities. Operation Fruit was one of the biggest co-ordinated heroin operations there has been in New Zealand. Twelve arrests were made throughout New Zealand in the effort which began simultaneously at 6.12 p.m. in Auckland, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, and Invercargill. In a search of a bach at Red Beach, Whangaparoa Pensinula, north of Auckland, early yesterday,' 300 g of white powder heroin was found hidden in a cupboard. It is now being tested by scientists to determine its purity. Heroin only 25 per cent pure is selling on Auckland streets for $lOOO a gram. If the amount seized yesterday was 100 per cent pure it could be cut four times with a potential street value of $1.2 million. The man in charge of the South Island part of the operation, Detective SeniorSergeant Paul Johnstone,

said 31 local police and customs officers raided four houses in Sydenham, Shirley, and Cashmere yesterday. The largest seizing of heroin in New Zealand was in 1975 when 2kg of the drug was found by police at Auckland Airport. In Auckland, eight persons were charged with conspiracy to supply heroin when they appeared before Judge Wallace in the District Court yesterday. They are Wayne David Beri, aged 39, unemployed, and his sister, Gail Teresa Beri, 27, a sickness beneficiary, both of Orewa; Ronald Terence Brown, 40, unemployed, of Point Chevalier; Lance Wynyard Cash, 25, unemployed, of Ponsonby; Chay Karnn, 29, upholsterer, of Upper Hutt; Kevin John Miles, 40, a fashion retailer, of Remuera; Reginald Edward Ritchie, 23, unemployed scrubcutter, of Kaitaia; and an Invercargill man who was given interim suppression of name. Brown faces a further count of unlawfully possessing a sawn-off pump action shotgun.

All eight were remanded in custody to August 13. In Christchurch, Mark Alistair Beri, aged 26, unemployed, was charged with conspiring with Wayne David Beri, and others, to supply heroin between May 20 and August 4. Mareeka Faye Barry, aged 27, a solo mother, was charged that between the same dates at Christchurch she conspired with Melvin William Alexander Wilkins to supply heroin. Judge Bisphan remanded Beri to August 13, and Barry to August 12. In Nelson, David John Michael Hart, aged 30, a fisherman, was remanded in custody to appear in the District Court at Auckland on August 12, charged with conspiring with Wayne David Beri and others to supply heroin. In Wellington yesterday, Jeffrey Paul Miles, aged 20, a sound technician, appeared in the District Court charged with posses- ■ sion of heroin and possession of instruments. Judge Kerr remanded him in custody, without plea, to August 9.