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."
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
SHARE ME