A man with gang links who was found at an east Auckland property has been arrested and charged as part of an ongoing crackdown on organised crime by police across the city.
Detective inspector Aaron Proctor says search warrants are being executed in suburbs across Auckland as ‘Operation Cobalt’ ramps up with firearms and drugs being removed from the community.
Numerous arrests have been made as a result, Proctor says.
He says police disruption teams recently conducted a warrant at an address in Flat Bush where a firearms incident happened earlier this year.
Police previously found about 100 rounds of ammunition at the address during a scene examination after the incident in late May, Proctor says.
“At the time the occupants were not located at the address.
“During this month’s search warrant, Operation Cobalt staff arrested a 31-year-old man who has connections to the Killer Beez [gang].
“He’s been charged with unlawful possession of the ammunition.
“He is also facing charges in relation to more than a kilogram of cannabis found in a vehicle at the address.”
Proctor says Operation Cobalt is focused on holding people to account for their actions.
Police are sending a clear message to the people committing such illegal activity that it won’t be tolerated, he says.
“With a heightened focus on illegal activity and other incidents that involve the use of violence and firearms in our community, we are identifying more offenders with alleged connections to gangs and are seeing prosecution action as a result.
“Our focus is on reducing the prevalence of this sort of behaviour and those who are choosing to engage themselves in this should expect to come to our attention.”
As part of the recent police operation a man linked to the Head Hunters gang was arrested in west Auckland in connection with an aggravated robbery carried out in May, while thousands of dollars in cash and nearly half a kilogram of cannabis were allegedly found at an address in Otara, south Auckland.
A Tribesman gang patch was also found and seized and a 25-year-old man is now before the courts as a result.
