Police bust ‘sophisticated’ Southland drug operation

Drugs seized in a recent operation by police in Southland. Photos: NZ Police

Police have smashed what they describe as a significant drug operation in Southland, which snared 2kg of MDMA pressed into the shape of dining plates and more than $60,000 of cash.

Two men appeared before the Invercargill District Court this week, aged 34 and 38, on a raft of charges.

In a press release, Detective Inspector Shona Low said the investigation started on January 6, when a suspicious-looking package showed up at the Auckland International Mail Centre.

She said an X-ray of the package, labelled as dining plates, caught the eye of Customs officers - and further testing proved it to be 2kg of MDMA, pressed and painted to look like dinnerware.

The package was addressed to an Invercargill property. The Southern District Organised Crime Group carried out a search of the address on January 23 which revealed the class-C drug ketamine, ammunition, cannabis and - most importantly, police said - a connection to a second property and clear signs of a wider drug operation.

The second house was searched in turn and found to contain a sophisticated cannabis-growing enterprise, with 22 plants and 30kg of the class-C substance packaged "ready to be sold".

A "sizable" amount of ketamine, a dissociative anaesthetic used more recently to treat depression, was found at the address, as well as 500g of MDMA and more than $60,000 of cash.

The 38-year-old is facing the more serious stack of charges of supplying ecstasy, ketamine and cannabis as well as the growing operation.

He was remanded in custody.

More than $60,000 worth of cash was seized.

The second man, 34, has been charged with possessing 250 rounds of .22 calibre ammunition and eight 300 rifle rounds, as well as ketamine.

Both men will appear before the court again at the end of the month.

"This is offending on a scale rarely seen in Southland," Det Insp Low said.

This was not someone growing a cannabis plant for their own use, she said.

"It was an organised, sophisticated drug operation designed to make a profit, without any concern for the people affected or damaged by it.

"The drug trade feeds people’s addictions and fuels crime by encouraging desperate individuals to steal in order to pay for their next hit.

"We know this won’t stop the supply of drugs, it won’t stop organised crime groups or others from trying to profit from addiction, but it will put a noticeable dent in the availability of illegal drugs in the district and the harm caused by them."

She paid tribute to the great efforts of the Customs officers.