A senior King Cobra gang member is among the six people arrested by police in an operation officers say will deal a "devastating blow" to a syndicate allegedly bringing Class A drugs into the region.
Police have executed more than 10 search warrants at properties across Christchurch, including the gang's Addington pad, in the last three days.
Officers uncovered around a kilogram of methamphetamine and bricks of cash believed to total more than $100,000.
Those arrested now face a range of serious charges, including participating in an organised criminal group — which carried a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison — and conspiracy to supply methamphetamine, an offence punishable by life imprisonment.
Detective Inspector Rebecca Cotton said Operation Shelby was a "months-long" effort that began in 2025 that was "designed to target a syndicate we suspected of being a significant driver of drugs into the Canterbury district".
Police said the takedown follows a key development last month that had not previously been made public.
On April 22, a 47-year-old Lower Hutt woman was arrested after arriving in Christchurch on a flight allegedly in possession of 1kg of methamphetamine.
At the same time, a 41-year-old Upper Hutt man was arrested in the airport car park with $104,000 in cash. Both were charged with possession of methamphetamine for supply.
Cotton said this week's arrests would put a "significant dent" in the syndicate's operations.
"Our goal was to go after an organised criminal group that was flooding the Canterbury market with Class A drugs like meth, the damage from which police deal with every day."
The alleged offenders could stand to lose more money and drugs, she added, with police's Southern Asset Recovery Unit to comb through assets in "forensic detail".
"These people amassed significant assets through their alleged criminal offending, and they’ve gone untouched for several years," Cotton said.
"That has come to an end they will be held accountable. Police will explore every legal avenue available to us, in particular Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act."
Operation Shelby by the numbers
- Six arrests
- Five 200 gram bags of methamphetamine seized from a Christchurch address on Wednesday
- Approximately $100,000 recovered during search warrants on Wednesday
- 1 kilogram of meth found in April
- Approximately $104,000 recovered in April
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