Nine people have been arrested and almost $90,000 worth of drugs, including cocaine, has been seized in raids across Central Otago in recent weeks.
Detective Sergeant Regan Boucher, of Otago Lakes Organised Crime, said 170 grams of cocaine, 40 grams of MDMA, and MDMA pills, worth about $88,000 had been seized in raids in Queenstown, Cromwell, Alexandra, and Wanaka.
He said nine people would be appearing before the courts facing drug-dealing charges, including possession for supply of MDMA, ketamine, cocaine, and cannabis.
He said police were continuing to see higher recreational drug use throughout Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago, consistent with the larger concentration of controlled substances such as MDMA, and cocaine detected in the Southern Police District's wastewater.
"Police will continue to target and hold offenders to account for the supply of controlled drugs in our community, as these drugs can and do cause harm."
He urged anyone thinking of using drugs to think twice, and recommended drug checking for those whose chose to indulge.
Drug checking
A calendar of upcoming drug checking clinics is available at https://thelevel.org.nz/drug-checking-clinics
You can also visit New Zealand’s drug early warning system at https://www.highalert.org.nz for more harm reduction advice about drugs and to sign up for early warnings about dangerous substances circulating in our communities.