New Zealand and Australian police seize AR‑15 rifles in Hells Angels crackdown

Police in New Zealand, working with Australian law‑enforcement agencies under Taskforce Morpheus, arrested five members or associates of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club and laid 18 charges related to firearms and class A and B drug offences. Detectives highlighted the cross‑border cooperation as a way to pressure outlaw motorcycle gangs.

Searches across Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Central and Tasman districts uncovered three AR‑15 semi‑automatic rifles, ammunition, firearms parts, more than NZ$150,000 in cash, about NZ$93,000 in jewellery, 400 bottles of alcohol, quantities of MDMA, methamphetamine and GBL, and a Mercedes‑Benz and Ford Ranger. "These illegal and violent activities that outlaw motorcycle gangs chose to involve themselves in are having impacts across many communities," said Detective Inspector Wayne Gray.