Police crashed a bulldozer through the front entrance of a
Red Devils' gang house in Nelson this morning as part of an
operation targeting gangs in the top of the South Island.
The operation involved more than 120 police from around the
country and focused on arrests and seizures of drugs,
weapons, cash and other property.
Police said the Red Devils were a puppet gang for the Hells
Angels, a prominent global motorcycle gang.
The operation had confirmed the gangs relationship with the
Hells Angels and that its primary focus was organised crime,
Superintendent Gary Knowles said.
"We never thought for a moment these were just good old boys
on motorbikes, despite what their supporters and legal
representatives tried to present them as," Mr Knowles said.
Search warrants were executed across Nelson, Tasman and
Marlborough this morning.
The operation was a multi-agency exercise, involving NZ
Defence force and NZ Customs working alongside police and the
Organised and Financial Crime Agency New Zealand.
Results of the operation were now being collated.
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