Four arrested in Canterbury bust that netted 3 kg of cannabis
Police and Customs in Canterbury arrested four men aged 27 to 35 and remanded them in custody after a joint investigation that intercepted drug shipments at the border and searched properties across the region. Alongside cocaine, MDMA, ketamine and other drugs, investigators seized 3 kg of cannabis, more than $500,000 in cash and a 3D-printed firearm.
Police and Customs investigators in Canterbury arrested four men aged between 27
and 35 this week and remanded them in custody.[1][2][3]The four were due to appear
in the Christchurch District Court facing charges relating to the importation,
possession for supply and supply of controlled drugs.[4][3]
The arrests followed a joint investigation by the Canterbury District Organised
Crime Group and Customs, which intercepted multiple drug consignments at the New
Zealand border before search warrants across Canterbury.[1][2]Investigators
seized three kilograms of cannabis along with 10 kilograms of cocaine, 24.5
kilograms of MDMA, 10.6 kilograms of ketamine and 70 kilograms of
pseudoephedrine.[4][5][3]
Police named the operation Operation Magpie and said it targeted the
importation, supply and distribution of illicit drugs in Canterbury and
throughout the country.[6]Detective Senior Sergeant Tania Jellyman said
intelligence sharing and coordinated enforcement between police and Customs let
them identify, disrupt and dismantle the offending.[1]Customs Acting
Investigations manager Nigel Barnes said the range of drugs intercepted showed
the persistence and increasingly brazen nature of the activity.[7]
Photos and video
Drugs seized in Operation Magpie. Photo: New Zealand PolicePhoto details
1News1news.co.nz'Massive quantity' of cocaine, MDMA and ketamine seized in Canterbury bust
Open questions the AI reported
The sources say the arrests were made "this week" without a precise day; the incident date is approximate.
The sources do not say where in Canterbury the search warrants were carried out, how many properties were searched, or how many charges each man faces.
No court appearance date or outcome is reported.
Police give no street value for the 3 kg of cannabis, and the figures do not include the other substances seized.
The published photos are captioned only as drugs, cash and other items seized in Operation Magpie; individual photos are not identified.
Left out, as its quotation was not found in New Zealand Police: Police also listed 6800 ecstasy tablets, 4600 LSD tabs and 550 grams of methamphetamine, and said 3 kilograms of cannabis was among the drugs seized.
Left out, as its quotation was not found in New Zealand Police: Officers also seized more than $500,000 in cash, a 3D-printed firearm and pill-pressing equipment for making ecstasy tablets.
The Herald article's text after its opening lines sits behind a subscription prompt, so no further details from it could be read.
Stuff gives no precise day for the search warrants beyond "this week".
Stuff does not say where in Canterbury the warrants were carried out, how many properties were searched, or how many charges each man faces, and reports no court outcome beyond the scheduled Christchurch District Court appearance.
The cannabis is reported only as a 3 kilogram weight, with no street value and no detail on its form or where it was found.
The article gives no exact day for the arrests or searches beyond "this week", so the police release date of 7 November 2026 stands in for the incident date.
Christchurch District Court Judge Quentin Hix sentenced 54-year-old Damon Redshaw without prison after police found 234 grams of cannabis in his crashed vehicle, along with a sawn-off .22 rifle, ammunition and a methamphetamine vape.
A week-long Australia–New Zealand operation in September 2026 carried out 85 search warrants in New Zealand and arrested 34 people. Police seized 270 kg of loose cannabis and 6,183 plants, along with methamphetamine, opium, MDMA, cash and firearms. The cannabis came from grow houses in Auckland linked to Vietnamese organised crime.
Police announced on 25 August 2026 that a 10-month investigation had shut down a Vietnamese-organised cannabis grow-house syndicate in Auckland. Twelve people were arrested in 19 raids; police seized about NZ$1.25 million of cultivation equipment, 35 kg of cannabis and NZ$80,000 in cash.
Cook Islands Customs found just over 2 kg of cannabis concealed in cargo from New Zealand at the port in Arutanga, Aitutaki, on 7 August 2024. Police flew detectives from Rarotonga with search warrants and said they were investigating a drug supply to the island.