The unit was searched as part of the probe into Andrew Stewart Jones (28) and Sepiuta Setaita Vave (38) who are accused of defrauding friends and family to the tune of $1 million with a bogus cancer diagnosis.
Police investigating the fraud said in a statement they had now identified 10 potential victims of the pair.
Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Dye said four more potential victims had come forward, while police enquiries have identified another three potential victims.
“This is on top of the three people who had already made complaints to police, and resulted in the arrests of the pair,” he says.
The couple are due to reappear in Christchurch District Court on Monday, August 25, on multiple charges of obtaining by deception.
A search warrant conducted on a storage unit in Wānaka as part of the enquiry last week located a .22 rifle, restricted weapons, and over 2000 rounds of ammunition.
Further enquiries in relation to the warrant are ongoing, and charges were likely to be filed in coming weeks.
“Members of the Tasman Organised Crime Unit are in the process of contacting all identified victims in order to obtain statements in relation to any offending.”
Previously living on the West Coast, the couple had recently moved to Wānaka where they had been "living the high life" with rented properties and high-end European cars, Det Snr Sgt Dye said.
Police photos supplied to the Otago Daily Times show the couple’s white late-model Range Rover.
"Their lavish lifestyle has been funded with money allegedly defrauded from family, friends and associates, for cancer treatment that inquiries show was never required and never obtained."
