Tauranga pair arrested on drug importation and dealing charges

A 44 year old Tauranga man and his 24 year old daughter have been arrested and charged with drug importation and drug dealing offences after the Armed Offenders Squad executed a search warrant at a Tauranga address this afternoon.

This followed a joint investigation conducted by the Organised & Financial Crime Agency of New Zealand (OFCANZ), Tauranga Police and the New Zealand Customs Service.

The investigation concentrated on two local people alleged to be involved in the importation of pre-cursor chemicals used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. As a result of the investigation 200gms of methamphetamine with a street value of $100,000 was recovered along with 1.5kg of the precursor chemical pseudoephredrine.

Both will appear in the Tauranga District Court at 9.00 am tomorrow.

Detective Inspector Grant Wormald of OFCANZ said the arrests come as the direct result of ongoing investigations which lead to the importation being identified by New Zealand Customs.

“That knowledge and the subsequent investigations by OFCANZ and the Tauranga Police has led to a significant result today".