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Staff work hard in isolated conditions
Two South Island men have been arrested and charged with the theft
of pounamu (greenstone) following an operation which spanned two
years and three police districts.
 Harvey Hutton (helicopter operator, Makarora) and Dougal Innes (farm
manager, Wanaka) both pleaded not guilty to two charges each, and
Hutton to three additional charges of money laundering when they
appeared in the Alexandra District Court on 11 May.
Officer in Command of Operation Roar, Detective Sergeant Chris Roberts
of the Canterbury CIB’s Organised Crime Strategy Unit, says
the investigation began in 2002 when Te Rununga o Ngai Tahu approached
private investigator (and former police officer) Rob Nicholl to investigate
what they believed was theft of pounamu from South Westland.
The Ngai Tahu Pounamu Vesting Act 1997 prohibits commercial mining
of pounamu occurring in its natural condition in specific areas,
including South Westland.
As a result of the information gathered, a formal complaint was made
to police. Ten-One is unable to provide details of the operation,
as the case is still before the courts, but Chris says it was a complex
inquiry which involved staff from Tasman, Canterbury and Southern
Districts.
“
A lot of people put in a lot of hard work, including the STG and
Technical Support Staff. Staff were working in some very difficult
conditions. It was different because we had to operate in a remote
area without compromising the scene.”
Chris says all staff involved in Operation Roar did an outstanding
job, including Detective Bruce Woodley, Chris’s Second in Charge.
“
We had really good cooperation from all three districts to achieve
what we did.”
Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Wood was in charge of the termination
phase, which involved 26 officers executing six search warrants at
properties occupied by both defendants. A total of 13 tonne of pounamu
was recovered, most of it high quality jewellery grade. The cost
of the pounamu is disputed, but estimated to be between $500,000
and $1m.
“
This investigation has taken police into some of the most isolated
and difficult areas of country-side in New Zealand,” says Steve. “We
are rapt to get such a good result after all their work.”
A restraining order has been placed on Hutton’s helicopter
and investigations continue into activities around the thefts.
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