Thursday, November 7, 2024

Police shut down illicit weapons operation

Police have shut down a social media operation selling restricted weapons from a suburban Auckland home.

Officers recovered dozens of stun devices, OC spray, knives and nearly two kilograms of cannabis during a raid on a Blockhouse Bay property on Wednesday.

Police say an investigation has been ongoing into the operation that has allegedly been selling the restricted weapons.

“Our investigation staff have been looking into tasers and OC spray being sold on Facebook,” said Auckland City West Area Commander, Inspector Alisse Robertson.

“The investigation led us to the address where we located a person of interest in this case.”

A search uncovered 29 canisters of OC Spray, 27 stun guns, as well as more than 1.6kg of cannabis.

“Concerningly a large number of these were all set up and ready for sale,” Inspector Robertson says.

A 28-year-old woman was arrested at the address. Police have since charged her with a representative charge of possessing a restricted weapon, as well as possession for supply of cannabis. The woman is appearing in the Auckland District Court today and Police are opposing her bail.

“This is a really good outcome for the community, with dozens of these dangerous weapons out of circulation and another supply line shut down,” Inspector Robertson says.

“I’d like to acknowledge the range of staff who worked on this on Wednesday, from our front-line staff through to Tactical Crime Unit with support from colleagues further afield in Auckland.”

Inspector Robertson says Police continue to encourage the public to report any illegal activity taking place in their communities, whether that’s in proximity or online.

Information can be reported through 105 channels or by contacting Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Latest Articles