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Armed police at the main entrance to the Mongols Gang Road in Burnham, who were searched in a dawn raid.
Armed police conducted a daybreak raid on the South Island headquarters of the Mongols MC cycling gang.
Officers searched the property on State Highway 1 on Wednesday morning as part of Operation Cobalt, a major nationwide crackdown on illegal gang behavior.
Members of the armed offender group carrying assault rifles were stationed at the entrance to the headquarters, which is behind a large fence.
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Officers issued a “pre-planned search warrant” Wednesday morning.
The highway was initially blocked in both directions, with a large police presence at the scene.
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The “pre-planned search warrant” is part of Operation Cobalt, a six-month nationwide crackdown on gangs.
All 12 police districts are dedicated to the operation, and a special task force has been set up in Auckland – the epicenter of organized crime in New Zealand.
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Police are carrying out a major six-month crackdown on gangs.
The attack on the Mongol territory on Wednesday is not the first to be carried out in Canterbury as part of Operation Cobalt.
Last week, police also raided Tribesmen’s South Island headquarters, which is in an industrial area in Woolston.
New Police Secretary Chris Hipkins said increasing gang violence was “not acceptable”, and that a marker of success over six months would be to bring gang-related crime and firearm crimes under control.
“I think the public needs to have some assurance that you know that this issue we are currently experiencing around gang-related criminal activities is something that the police are trying to bring under control … that is my expectation from the police . “
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Police across the country are dedicating staff to efforts to tackle gang crime.
He also said he does not just want to drive insultingly underground.
“We really need to really address and address the underlying issues here.”
His appointment comes after a spate of gang-related shootings in Auckland and fears from within government ranks that law and order was becoming a political vulnerability.
The Mongols set up a South Island division in 2020 led by former Hells Angels member Jason Ross, which has created tension among rival groups.
Christchurch police have since been investigating firebomb attacks and passing shootings linked to the gang.
Kane Wayman, 46, a Head Hunters aide, was killed after he was repeatedly punched and kicked on January 1 after a night of drinking at Mongolia headquarters.
Several people have been charged with his murder, and are awaiting trial.