A Palmerston North man is appearing in court this morning on drugs and firearms charges, after some quick work by two officers on foot patrol in the city last night.

The officers had been waved down by a passing motorist at around 12.45am. The motorist was concerned for the welfare of a man they had seen walking near the Esplanade.

When the officers went to investigate, they noticed a group of people acting suspiciously in a van in the Esplanade grounds.

As the officers continued to observe the people in the van, it became apparent that the group was consuming what appeared to be methamphetamine.

The officers called for further support and were then able to quickly detain all of the van occupants while a search of the van was carried out.

A loaded sawn-off shotgun was located in the van, along with 15 rounds of ammunition, methamphetamine and methamphetamine utensils.

“This was a great piece of proactive policing by these two officers,” says Inspector Ross Grantham, Manawatū Area Commander.

“As a result, we have one less firearm in the hands of someone who has no business having one.”

The owner of the van, a 30-year-old man, was held in custody overnight and is scheduled to appear in Palmerston North District Court this morning.

He is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and possession of methamphetamine.

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