A man was arrested during a police operation in West Auckland after officers allegedly caught him in the act of manufacturing illegal weapons. The arrest occurred during a series of coordinated raids targeting firearms offending and the supply of prohibited weapons in the Henderson Valley area.
The operation, which took place yesterday morning, focused on two separate properties. Police identified one location on Mountain Road in Henderson Valley as a site used for the production and distribution of illegal firearms. Upon entering the premises, officers discovered a person actively engaged in the assembly of weapons.
Detective Senior Sergeant Josh Lautogo confirmed that the individual was taken into custody immediately. During a subsequent search of the property, investigators recovered various components and .22 caliber ammunition that they described as “consistent with the manufacture of firearms.”
A 35-year-old man is now facing charges including the sale or manufacture of firearms without a dealer’s license and the unlawful possession of ammunition. He was scheduled to appear in the Waitākere District Court today.
Gang Links and Seized Weaponry
Parallel to the manufacture bust, police executed a second raid at a property on View Road, identified as a “pad” for the West Headhunters. Detective Senior Sergeant Lautogo stated that this specific search targeted individuals with known links to the Headhunters Motorcycle Gang, part of a broader crackdown on organized crime and illegal weaponry in the region.
The search of the View Road property yielded a .22 semiautomatic rifle, which officers found concealed inside a bag hanging from a coat hanger. Ammunition was also recovered from the same room.
Impact of Firearms Crackdowns in New Zealand
These raids are part of a sustained effort by the New Zealand Police to disrupt the manufacture and supply of illegal guns. The emergence of “home-made” or illegally modified firearms has become a priority for law enforcement, particularly when linked to organized crime groups and gangs.
The removal of a manufacturing site is considered a significant win for public safety, as it prevents the proliferation of untraceable weapons into the criminal ecosystem. By targeting both the production phase and the gang-linked distribution points, police aim to reduce the overall volume of illicit firearms available on the street.
The discovery of stolen luxury vehicles and significant quantities of cannabis alongside the weaponry suggests a multifaceted criminal operation involving theft, narcotics trafficking, and arms manufacturing.
The 42-year-old and 69-year-old suspects are scheduled to appear in the Waitākere District Court tomorrow for their respective hearings.
This is a developing legal matter. For further information on firearms laws and reporting illegal weapons, visit the official New Zealand Police website.
We invite our readers to share their thoughts on these enforcement actions in the comments below.
