THERE is hope Ōpōtiki will be free from the fear, intimidation and violence caused by Barbarian gang members after a series of raids by police yesterday.

“Today is a good day for Ōpōtiki,” Bay of Plenty district commander Superintendent Tim Anderson, pictured, said after more than 30 warrants were executed around the North Island as part of Operation Highwater.

Police arrested 28 people and restrained approximately $800,000 in assets, including a residential property, four cars, one jet ski, two trail bikes, a Harley Davidson motorcycle, about $80,000 in a bank account, $65,000 in cash and $20,000 worth of jewellery.

Five rifles and a 3D-printed pistol, 5.4 kilograms of cannabis, smaller amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine, and 13 gang patches were seized.

There were 18 arrests in the Bay of Plenty, three each in Auckland and Waikato, and two each in the Wellington and Eastern policing districts. The bulk of the arrestees appeared in Tauranga District Court yesterday afternoon, with others due to appear this morning, both in Tauranga and in other courts around the country.

“The termination of this operation is a clear message to gang members selling illegal drugs across the Bay of Plenty that we will find you and you will be held accountable for your destructive behaviour,” Mr Anderson said.

“We will continue to relentlessly pursue criminals who prey on our communities and cause a huge amount of harm and misery in their own communities with their drug dealing and violent behaviour.

“From my travels around the Bay of Plenty, the feedback from different iwi leaders and the wider community is that they’ve had a gutsful of this type of offending.”

The operation started last December in response to the violence and ongoing issues in Ōpōtiki.

It focused primarily on drug dealing by the local Barbarian chapter of the Mongrel Mob, but police say the investigation also prevented two murders from occurring at tangi at Ōpōtiki and Hamilton.

During the course of the investigation, police were informed of a drive-by shooting planned at an Ōpōtiki marae.

Police deployed to the scene located and seized three firearms, including a high-powered rifle, shotguns and ammunition.

Operation Highwater was led by the National Organised Crime Group and found evidence of “significant” drug dealing, including methamphetamine and the cultivation and sale of large quantities of cannabis by the gang.

NOCG director Detective Superintendent Greg Williams said police allege the Barbarians were involved in the distribution of methamphetamine to other gangs.

“They’re sourcing it probably out of Auckland and moving it across the country.

“As we know, the harm that drives in those communities is huge.”

Operation Highwater in Ōpōtiki has been likened to the one in Kawerau six years ago targeting the commercial distribution of methamphetamine and cannabis by the Mongrel Mob.

“We think that, like Kawerau, taking out this significant gang will allow the town to breathe and maybe start to recover from some of the harm we are seeing there.”

Mr Williams said the hope was that Ōpōtiki residents would take advantage of a newly opened treatment facility, partially funded by the Proceeds of Crime Fund.

He said after the raids in Kawerau, between 80 and 100 people self-referred for help to get themselves off meth.

A lasting concern was the proliferation of drug use in children in the Eastern Bay.

Mr Williams said children in Murupara were taking methamphetamine to school and trying to give it to their peers.

“This really worries me in terms of the harm that meth causes in those communities.

“These people that we have charged today know exactly what they are doing.”

Police urge the public to continue to report gang crime by phoning 111 for active situations, or 105 in a non-emergency.

Information can also be provided anonymously through Crimestoppers at 0800 555 111.