Infiltration of Mob ends in 38 arrests

Press, 15 July 1987, Page 2

Infiltration of Mob ends in 38 arrests

PA Auckland A young policeman’s nine-month under-cover infiltration of the Mongrel Mob resulted in 38 arrests yesterday, the police said. Those arrested, including the leaders of two chapters of the gang, have been charged with dealing in class A drugs and receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stolen property. Nearly 200 detectives and uniformed police searched houses in Auckland, Hamilton, Tokoroa, Rotorua, and Tauranga at dawn yesterday. More than 13.6 kg of cannabis, 1100 LSD trips, cannabis oil and stolen property with a street value of about $200,000 were seized.

The 38 people arrested, 10 of them Mongrel Mob members, were to appear in District Courts in the North Island. The under-cover officer, who gave up his role on Monday night, was praised by the head of Operation Crimp 11, Detective Senior-Sergeant Mike Weeks.

“The officer did a tremendous job and successfully penetrated a very difficult scene.” Detective Senior-Ser-geant Weeks said the Maori policeman “ran

with the gang” but did not become a patch-wearing member. He was based in Auckland but was in touch with gang members from other centres. The officer “wouldn’t be here” if gang members had found out who he was.

“He’s very relieved to be out of it,” he said. The police are still looking for 15 people noted for criminal activities during the course of the operation. About six of those were gang members. Detective Senior-Ser-geant Weeks said the under-cover agent had bought amounts of drugs, “for what we term evidential purposes” during the course of the operation.