A police spokeswoman said police went to an address looking for a person of interest and, as a result, three people were arrested.
A 44-year-old old man had been charged with a breach of his electronic monitoring conditions, and a 40-year-old man had been charged over an outstanding warrant to arrest.
A 29-year-old woman has been charged with breach of bail.
All three are due to appear in the Dunedin District Court on Monday the spokeswoman said.
A witness, who asked not to be identified, reported seeing at least one person handcuffed and taken away towards a police vehicle during the operation, apparently shortly after 1pm.
The witness said the arrest was in Wakari Rd, near the intersection with Taieri Rd, and the road had been blocked by several police vehicles.
A dog van and several other police vehicles, including a police highway patrol car, had taken part in the operation, which was supported by armed offenders squad members, some of them carrying rifles, the witness said.
