Friday, 11 November 2011 - 2:07pm |
National News

Police locate clan lab in Northland

2 min read

Police have located a clan lab, a large amount of electronic goods and several vehicles at a property in Oue, Northland.

The property, in a rural area between Rawene and Opononi, was searched yesterday after Police received information following the arrest of a 36-year-old man in Auckland.
The man had been wanted by Police and was arrested on Wednesday.

At the rural property Police located chemicals and equipment used for the manufacture of methamphetamine. The house has had hazardous substances declaration made on it and will need to be thoroughly cleaned due to the toxic nature of the chemicals involved.

Police also seized a large amount of property including quad bikes, cars, televisions, more than 20 laptop computers, jewellery and cameras.
They also located some firearms and ammunition.

Relieving Far North Area Commander Inspector Jacqui Whittaker says good investigative policing has led to a significant haul of property that was possibly stolen and a clan lab that contains a range of dangerous chemicals.

"Police have a strong focus on reducing the harm caused by illicit drugs and other crimes in our communities. We will continue to target those who carry out this offending."

"However, Police cannot do it alone and rely on information from the public to locate these offenders and make our communities safer"

To assist Police and your community identifying this, Ms Whittaker says activity, in relation to methamphetamine manufacture, to look out for includes: strong chemical smells, large stockpiles of empty containers and any unusual late night activity.

It is also important for those people renting out their properties to remain vigilant for this type of offending as the long term consequences, not only on people in the immediate vicinity, but also the ability to reuse the buildings can have a significant impact.

She also encourages people to report all burglaries and thefts to Police as they can be linked to other serious offending.

If anyone has information regarding suspicious activity relating to drugs and other crime they can contact their local Police station or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
If it is an emergency or people believe a crime is taking place they can call 111.

For media inquiries contact Northland Police Communications Officer Sarah Kennett on 09 430 4525 or 027 494 1214.