Latest news with #drugbust
RNZ News
18 hours ago
- RNZ News
Operation Matata: More baggage handlers at Auckland International Airport charged in major drug smuggling bust
Photo: Supplied / NZ Police A total of 15 current and former baggage handlers employed at Auckland International Airport have been charged as part of a major drug bust. An investigation by police and customs unravelled a transnational organised crime syndicate working with local gangs to import significant quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine into New Zealand. Operation Matata identified that the syndicate was allegedly smuggling Class A drugs through unattended baggage on international flights, primarily through Auckland International Airport. A further nine people are facing serious criminal and drug charges, following the arrest of 18 on 24 June. Customs, working alongside US authorities, seized 631 kilograms of methamphetamine and 112kg of cocaine. Photo: Supplied / NZ Police Investigators executed 19 search warrants across Auckland on Wednesday. "Make no mistake, this investigation has exposed and disrupted a significant threat to New Zealand," Detective Inspector Tom Gollan, of the National Organised Crime Group said. "Police will allege the group's operation involved placing unaccompanied bags on international flights, which were then covertly removed on arrival in Auckland by corrupt baggage handlers to avoid security protocols." Police and customs had been working closely with overseas law enforcement to disrupt and intercept multiple drug shipments bound for New Zealand. Flights originated from Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Santiago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. Gollan said the most recent seizure was 50kg of methamphetamine smuggled aboard a flight from Malaysia on 18 June 2025. Photo: Supplied / NZ Police "It will be alleged one of the arrested individuals gained unauthorised airside access at Auckland International Airport and was observed piloting a baggage cart towards the aircraft," he said. "The man's attempts were thwarted by a swift and coordinated response from police, customs and other agencies." Approximately $150,000 in cash was also located during Wednesday's search warrants. "Law enforcement continues to work with airport authorities and other companies to stamp out insider threats, making it difficult for criminal enterprises to operate in that environment," Gollan said. "Multiple investigations over the last few years, reaching back to Operation Selena, means that we have a very good understanding now of any nefarious activity occurring around the arrival of planes and the deplaning of luggage." Gollan said that knowledge led to the multiple arrests of baggage handlers and those people siting over the top of them as controllers. "Work done to make the airport more resilient to this criminal behaviour has forced organised crime groups to modify the way they operate making them more vulnerable to discovery," he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
$22K fentanyl, $6K cocaine seized in Manitoulin ride check
Ride check in Wiikwemkoong uncovers $22,000 in fentanyl, $6,000 in cocaine along with cash. Four arrested, including a local man, two from southern Ontario and a youth with multiple charges laid.
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
2 people charged after shots fired at Philadelphia police officers in Carroll Park
Philadelphia police arrested two people after shots were fired at officers, leading to a brief chase and a drug bust in the city's Carroll Park neighborhood Friday evening. On Monday, Assistant District Attorney Amanda Hedrick, with the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office's Charging Unit, identified the two people as 30-year-old Nathaniel Smith and 35-year-old Khalil Flowers. Hedrick said Smith is charged with assault of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, firearms charges, possession with intent to distribute, and other offenses. Flowers is charged with recklessly endangering another person, possession with intent to distribute and conspiracy. The charges come after three officers were patrolling in an unmarked police car when they noticed a white Kia speeding and driving erratically near the 5400 block of Morse Street, according to Deputy Commissioner of Investigations Frank Vanore. Vanore said the officers even witnessed the car drive the wrong way down a one-way street. As the officers put on their lights and tried to stop the car, a passenger in the Kia fired two rounds in the direction of the officers, Vanore said. The car then drove around a corner and was forced to stop behind a truck. Three men jumped out of the Kia and tried running away; however, officers chased them down and caught two of them – Smith and Flowers. Police were unable to find the third passenger. Inside the Kia, investigators found a 9mm firearm, two fired cartridge casings and a quantity of narcotics, including crack cocaine and marijuana, according to Vanore. None of the suspects or officers were injured in the incident. Smith is being held on over $1 million bail, and Flowers is being held on $500,000 bail. This investigation is just one element of a busy weekend of gun violence in the City of Philadelphia. Four people, including a mother and two of her children, were shot on Thursday night during a graduation party in North Philly. A mother, her 7-year-old daughter, and two others were then shot in Nicetown on Saturday. Additionally, a man was injured, and shots were also fired at a large gathering in Frankford Saturday night. Four more people were also hospitalized after a shooting near Stokley Street and Roberts Avenue in Philadelphia early Sunday morning. During a press conference on Monday, District Attorney Larry Krasner described the weekend's crimes as disturbing. "We do need to acknowledge that this has not been a great weekend, although we continue to see historic improvements and not just with homicides and not just with shootings, with one category after another of violent crime and nearly all categories of property crimes as well," Krasner said. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said he's proud of the department's work, adding that his officers won't be deterred. "I continue to be proud of the men and women of this Philadelphia Police Department who continue to put their lives on the line for the city of Philadelphia," he said. Sheriff Rochelle Bilal with the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office also condemned the violent weekend at the press conference. "We will not tolerate this kind of violence, and they don't really want this smoke. Gun violence isn't just a police issue; it's a public health crisis," she said.
CTV News
6 days ago
- CTV News
OPP find 4 kg of suspected cocaine during traffic stop in Mississauga
The OPP suspect these packages to contain cocaine. (Credit: OPP) The Mississauga OPP detachment found what they believe to be four kilograms of cocaine during a traffic stop on Thursday. Police stopped a vehicle that was heading towards Toronto on the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) at Erin Mills Parkway in Mississauga. Investigators then report searching the vehicle and finding what they suspect to be four kilograms of cocaine. More Cocaine on the QEW The OPP suspects cocaine to be inside this package. (Credit: OPP) Rocco Laurenti, a 27-year-old from the Niagara area, has been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking.
CBS News
6 days ago
- CBS News
Chicago Ridge, Illinois drug bust nets $1 million in cocaine thanks to K-9 officer Storm
A K-9 sniffed out seven figures worth of cocaine in a Chicago Ridge drug bust earlier this week, police said. Chicago Ridge police said they assisted the Drug Enforcement Agency in a narcotics investigation on Wednesday night. As part of the operation, Officer A'Hearn and his K-9 partner Storm went to unincorporated Will County to track down a luxury SUV suspected to be transporting large amounts of illegal drugs. Storm gave a positive indication for narcotics when sniffing the exterior of the vehicle, prompting a search by DEA agents that uncovered approximately 60 kg of suspected cocaine, as well as cash. The cocaine is estimated to be worth $1 million, Chicago Ridge police said. The investigation is ongoing and being led by the DEA. Chicago Ridge police did not release any information about whether charges have been filed.
