Two arrested for money laundering
Two arrested for money laundering following seizure of $20 million of Cocaine
Please attribute to Detective
Superintendent Greg Williams, Organised Crime Group National
Manager
Police have this morning arrested two people in Auckland in relation to money laundering, as investigations continue in connection to the seizure of 46 kilograms of Cocaine in Tauranga last week.
A 29-year-old Birkenhead male has today been charged with four counts of money laundering, while a 35-year-old female from Auckland Central also faces one charge of money laundering.
They are both due to appear in the Auckland District Court on November 14th.
Today’s arrests come after the arrests of four foreign nationals last week following an investigation by Police and Customs into the Cocaine haul, which had a street value of around $20 million.
A number of items have also been seized by Police following a search warrant in Birkenhead this morning.
These include a 2017 Honda Civic vehicle, a motorbike, various electronic equipment including phones and laptops as well several thousand dollars in cash and a money counting machine.
Detective Superintendent Greg Williams, National Manager for Organised Crime Group, says today’s arrests are the result of a dedicated five-month long investigation.
“The arrests followed an investigation which uncovered a sophisticated money laundering operation involving hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Police will continue to hold those to account who are responsible for the laundering of funds generated by the drug dealing activities of criminals.
“This is a very serious offence and carries a maximum sentence of 7 years imprisonment.”
The police investigation into this matter is continuing and we are unable to rule out any further arrests.
ENDS