A man and a woman who were allegedly planning to commit burglaries in Christchurch have been charged as part of the national police sting on organised crime - Operation Cobalt.
The woman, 25, was charged with conspiring with the man, 36, to commit burglaries of several commercial premises in the city.
The man, who was a patched member of the Mongols gang at the time of the alleged conspiracy, has been remanded in custody charged with blackmail, possession of a restricted weapon and drug dealing.
The man will appear in court on September 14 and will face an additional charge of receiving stolen property.
Police allege that on June 20 the man was in possession of a car transporter trailer valued at $40,000, which had been stolen from a commercial premises in Christchurch earlier that day.
"Since the arrest of the man earlier this year, police have become aware of several additional instances of intimidation and blackmail allegedly carried out by the Mongols gang," police said.
"The police investigation into this offending is ongoing and further charges are being considered."
SHARE ME