Man caught with several bags of stolen perfume
RNZ / REECE BAKER
A man has been arrested after stolen perfume was found in his car during a routine traffic stop.
The 34-year-old was stopped in Clover Park, Auckland, and his car was searched when police realised he was a wanted man.
"Our staff have discovered several bags of stolen perfumes inside the vehicle," Counties Manukau East Area Prevention Manager Inspector Rakana Cook said.
"It's pleasing we were able to recover some of the items stolen from these businesses."
The man faces 17 charges of shoplifting and one of theft.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Drug farmer built 'shanty' on Waikato swampland to harvest cannabis plots
By Belinda Feek, Open Justice reporter of Huntly men Jason Evans and Jayson Woods were charged after police discovered their cannabis growing operation on the shores of Lake Waahi in Huntly. Photo: Google Maps A drug farmer built a makeshift structure on the edge of a Waikato lake so he could row out and check on his cannabis plots, which he claims were at some point worth more than $200,000. In March 2021, Jason Edward Evans, 46, spent about eight weeks building the "shanty", which sat on the shores of Lake Waahi in Huntly. He and co-offender, champion New Zealand powerlifter Jayson George Woods, then used wooden pallets to get access around the cannabis plots on the swamplands surrounding the lake. Hamilton District Court recently heard that after building the structure, Evans lived in it for at least three weeks while he tended to his crop, harvesting the plants and setting up drying racks. Parts of the area were only accessible via boat. Then, in February 2022, police discovered about 1000 cannabis plants in six different spots in the lake area, describing the cultivation as a "large-scale commercial cannabis" operation. The discovery led police to Evans and Woods. When searching Evans' home in April that year, officers also found 15 x 500ml bottles of cannabis oil, $2480 cash, ammunition, 1kg of cannabis cabbage, 10 vials of steroids, and bottles of Jungle Juice and Rush. Jungle Juice and Rush are leather cleaning products but they can also be misused for other purposes. Evans told police he had harvested more than $200,000 worth of cannabis plants from his lakeside plots and that the cannabis oil and steroids were for his personal use. Aggravating Evans' situation, he was later busted with methamphetamine, cocaine, a firearm and prohibited firearm magazines this year, while on bail for the earlier offending. He was caught with those items when a firefighter was looking for a missing cat under a bed after a suspicious fire at Evans' Huntly property. The firefighter noticed a .22 rifle under the bed and reported it to police. The rifle was loaded with six rounds of ammunition, and, as it can hold 25 cartridges, is classified as a prohibited magazine. In a black bag, officers found 1.3g of cocaine, 172mg of meth, a meth pipe, Evans' passport, driver's licence, bank cards, medication and his phone. In his garage, they discovered a lathe surrounded by more ammunition, including a Ruger magazine, silencer and other firearms parts. After the earlier cannabis discovery, police also searched Woods' Huntly home and found 216 vials of prescription-only steroids and more than 300 unidentified pills. Officers also found a "small fully functional indoor cannabis grow room" in his garage, which had 18 seedlings, lights, power ballast, a timer and a mobile air con unit. A packet of unopened bullets and $4250 were also seized. Woods, 33, accepted there were "a couple of ounces of weed" at his house and said the steroids were his. According to court documents, he said he took them "because he is a New Zealand powerlifter". At Evans' recent sentencing, his counsel, Jasper Rhodes, said in explaining the 1000-plant discovery that it was grown in the wild and only about half of it would be "usable head". "It can only be harvested once a year because of the weather," he said, before stating that it was different from a hydroponic set-up in which all plants could be harvested. Judge Arthur Tompkins pointed out that, despite that, Evans had told police he had harvested more than $200,000 worth of cannabis. Rhodes said Evans was "primarily growing for personal use". He submitted that the operation was a "one-off, unsophisticated" situation with Evans "going in and out" to the hut by kayak. "This little hut [had] no glass, no windows, no walls, basically a shanty in the middle of the bush, compared with a person who is growing in hydroponic set-ups purely for personal gain with more plants." However, Rhodes accepted the drug offending Evans committed while on bail was an aggravating feature. He said Evans had the weapons and ammunition because he'd been the victim of attempted burglaries, break-ins and a violent home invasion in which he "almost died". As for the fire, that was investigated as arson, he said. "Without suggesting he was right to have a gun, he was right that he thought he was under threat," Rhodes said. "He had a reason, not a legitimate reason," the judge replied. Rhodes pushed for an end sentence of around 18 months, which would mean his client could walk out of prison, on time served, in about a month. But, on numerous charges, including cultivation of cannabis, possession of class A, B and C drugs, unlawful possession of firearms, prohibited magazines and ammunition, Judge Tompkins jailed Evans for two years and three months. Woods was sentenced earlier to 11 months' home detention on charges including cannabis cultivation for his involvement. * This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
One injured, shot fired in armed robbery at Whangārei bar
Photo: 123RF The owner of a Whangārei pub says a customer is injured and staff are traumatised after an armed robbery last night. Craig Woods who owns the Kensington Tavern said a man with a gun burst into the premises about 9.30pm, went behind the bar and ordered staff to give him the till's cash drawer. He said two staff and three customers were still at the pub as it was closing. "The staff did the correct thing by giving them the till, and it all happened pretty quickly. But one of the patrons intervened. The offender sort of broke free, and so the patron backed off." St John said it took one person to hospital with moderate injuries. Detective Sergeant Ryan Cooper who is the head of the Tactical Crime Unit said officers were called to the bar at 10pm, after a man entered the bar holding a firearm and demanded money. He then fired a shot towards the roof of the bar and assaulted one of the patrons, before taking cash from one of the bar's tills. He then fled the scene in a white Toyota Aqua or a similar model, driven by a second person. The car had stolen licence plates attached, registration KHA69. The injured person was transported to hospital, but has been discharged. Police said they are urgently working to locate the two offenders, and anyone with information is urged to contact 105 online or via phone, quoting file number 250726/2971. Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
4 hours ago
- RNZ News
Search contines for Roy Arbon who beat drug scam and braved Erebus
Roy Arbon. Photo: Supplied The search will resume today for a West Coast beekeeper who helped to recover bodies after the Erebus air disaster and was later the victim of a drug smuggling scam after the 75-year-old went missing on a tramp near Greymouth. Police are concerned for the welfare of Roy Arbon, who is overdue from a solo walk between Mt Davy and Mt Sewell he set out on on Wednesday. He may be wearing a blue puffer jacket, shorts, and hiking boots, but this is unconfirmed. West Coast beekeeper Roy Arbon Photo: Supplied "Although he is believed to be an experienced hiker, concerns are growing due to the time overdue, lack of contact, and cold temperatures," a police spokesperson said. Arbon worked for the Antarctic division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research when Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed into Mt Erebus in 1979. In an interview with NZ History , he described the dangerous recovery work: "We were working on a glacier… probing for crevasses with an ice axe. One thing that stayed with me is the smell of unburnt aviation fuel." He also helped erect a memorial cross on the crash site amid gale-force winds so strong the helicopter could not be shut down. West Coast beekeeper Roy Arbon Photo: Supplied "I was asked to help erect a memorial cross on the site. This was done in a gale-force wind so bad the helicopter could not shut down. I believe this was because the wind was blowing so hard, they wouldn't be able to get the machine started without damage to the main rotors." In 1995, Arbon also assisted in recovering the bodies of 14 people who died when a viewing platform collapsed at Cave Creek. Years later, Arbon was caught up in an international drug smuggling scam. Photo: The Scam screenshot He was detained in Australia after unknowingly transporting a suitcase from Brazil that contained more than 2kg of cocaine. He was later acquitted at trial in Western Australia. His ordeal was featured in the documentary The Scam . Anyone with information on Arbon's whereabouts is urged to contact police on 105, quoting job number P063265345. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
