New Zealand Police announced on 30 June 2014 the results of Operation Lucy, that year’s national cannabis operation: about 105,000 plants destroyed, 112 firearms seized and 640 suspects arrested.[1][2] Detective Senior Sergeant Scott McGill said destroying more than 100,000 plants before harvest had prevented significant social damage, calling the cannabis trade a destructive force in New Zealand society.[1]
Northland accounted for the largest share with 46,224 plants, followed by Bay of Plenty with 16,620 and Eastern District with 14,657; the remaining districts each yielded between about 1,400 and 8,300 plants.[1] Sixty-four of those arrested were patched gang members or associates, which McGill said showed the strong connection between organised crime and the cannabis trade.[1][2]
Officers also recovered an estimated $195,000 of stolen property and shut down three clandestine drug labs, two in Northland and one in Eastern District.[1][2] Police said the labs showed organised groups often manufactured and supplied a range of illegal drugs, and asked the public to keep reporting suspicious drug activity.[1]
