A property has been seized in the Bay of Plenty town of Kawerau today after a large police operation.
Police supported the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment in taking possession of a Newall St property that had been forfeited following a lengthy court process.
Detective Inspector Lindsay Pilbrow said the property was occupied by the son of a former Mongrel Mob Kawerau President arrested as part of a 2018 operation targeting the chapter's methamphetamine distribution.
More than 50 people were arrested in the operation, including senior members of the Kawerau Mongrel Mob leadership, with over $4 million in assets restrained.
The Tauranga High Court ordered the forfeiture of the property alongside the proceeds of the sale of a Ford Ranger ute.
Both assets were found to have been purchased with money obtained through significant criminal activity, namely from the sale and supply of methamphetamine and cannabis.
"At the time, this operation significantly disrupted a group of people who were causing a significant amount of harm to the community," Pilbrow said.
"Police remain committed to targeting assets that are obtained by criminal behaviour.
"We want to reassure our communities that police will also continue to target and disrupt groups and individuals that align themselves with those who profit from the proceeds of crime."
A 34-year-old man was taken into custody during the operation and he will appear in the Rotorua High Court today for contempt of court.
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