one of the founding members of the New Zealand chapter in 2018 but was arrested a year later following a covert investigation, Operation Nova, which targeted the gang's criminal activity. Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read. If you are a copyright owner or are authorized to act on behalf of one or authorized to act under any exclusive right under copyright, please report alleged copyright infringements taking place on or through the site by completing the DMCA Notice of Alleged Infringement and delivering it to our Designated Copyright Agent. He had strong support from his wife and sister and had also completed Saili Matagi, a rehabilitation programme tailored for inmates of Pasifika heritage. Despite this, Simpson was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison. We growing stronger and stronger.". "Given he is currently at high risk of re-offending and without any further rehabilitative programmes it is difficult to see the way out of prison for him before his sentence end date.". The defence lawyer said upon his clients arrival in New Zealand, he had difficulty opening a bank account, getting accommodation and employment. However, they still ruled the end sentence imposed was excessive and substituted the 10 years to one of nine years imprisonment. The 33-year-old pleaded guilty to nine charges of money laundering and participating in an organised criminal group, in relation to purchasing a fleet of luxury vehicles worth $2.6 million, including late-model Range Rovers, a Bentley and a Rolls-Royce. Naufahu was arrested following a series of raids across Auckland in April 2019, in which more than $3.7 million in assets was seized along with luxury cars, motorbikes, high-end luggage and jewellery. If you are a copyright owner or are authorized to act on behalf of one or authorized to act under any exclusive right under copyright, please report alleged copyright infringements taking place on or through the site by completing the DMCA Notice of Alleged Infringement and delivering it to our Designated Copyright Agent. "Dad", the text says, "don't send me these," then another, "I told you to use your brain". Hakaraia has denied participating in an organised criminal group; two charges of possession of class A drug for supply, namely cocaine and methamphetamine; and three charges of money laundering including $439,700 used towards two concrete pumps and $110,000 used towards purchasing a Range Rover. Three days later, Rahmans son checked into the same hotel and was seen meeting with another man, a 19-year-old Mexican national, who also cannot be identified for legal reasons. Shortly after the man and Naufahu were seen by police sitting in the Howick Village Cafe. His lawyer, Marie Dyhrberg, QC, asked the Parole Board to consider "belief in redemption" as all the available evidence showed Daniels was a changed man. For Vella, forever lasted until last week, when he posed in Comancheros colours with their new President Alex Meehan. The house was purchased with Naufahus 7-year-old son listed as the owner. Search warrants were also executed at the home linked to Rahman in Suva where Fijian Police discovered 39kg of cocaine, presumably destined for the Australian and New Zealand markets. Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook. Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook He had admitted participating in an organised criminal group and nine money laundering charges which came from purchasing a swag of expensive vehicles. Video / NZ Herald. The Comanchero members and associates were arrested in April 2019 after a massive police search. He said: Youre going to start off with a nice number with two zeroes. We do not accept Mr Naufahu played anything other than a major and significant role in the conspiracy to supply pseudoephedrine.. The vice-president of the Comancheros says he is a "changed man" and plans to distance himself from his criminal associates now he has been released from prison, according to the Parole Board. In total, 18 people were arrested, with lawyer Andrew Simpson and the gangs vice-president Tyson Daniels jailed in 2019 for their part in the operation. All rights reserved. Two days before Christmas, December 23, 2018, Rahman left New Zealand but not before receiving a backpack full of cash. Red Cross Cyclone Gabrielle fund: Where will donations go? He was "surprised" to be deported given his imprisonment in Australia had been in short stints. More than $1.2m in cash was deposited into Simpsons trust account at his law practice, which was also used to purchase some of the cars belonging to Daniels and allegedly others in the club, as well as real estate such as a $1.3m home in Auckland. Tyson Daniels is the vice president of the Comanchero MC in New Zealand. Search warrants were also executed at the home linked to Rahman in Suva where Fijian Police discovered 39kg of cocaine, presumably destined for the Australian and New Zealand markets. An annual lemonade stand that raises money for children battling cancer is coming to a local Hells Angels club this year. As part of his release plan, Daniels will attend a rehabilitation programme and one-on-one private counselling with a psychologist. Pasilika Naufahu was jailed for his part in a drug and money laundering scheme. Police bugged cellphones belonging to members and associates of the Comancheros gang, listening live to calls almost a year before raiding the bikies in a major bust. The Court of Appeal judges accepted Justice Langs 10 per cent discount for cultural factors was appropriate given Naufahu chose to take up the leading role in the Comancheros. The High Court judge detailed how Naufahu's family had moved to Australia when he was only one, and they struggled under financial hardship. A number of luxury vehicles were seized in the 2019 police raid. On Monday afternoon, Crown prosecutor David Johnstone opened the case to the jury. 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Despite this, Simpson was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison. "Another Comanchero chapter opened up. Photo: Supplied, Tyson Daniels, in the gold Versace top, and Auckland lawyer Andrew Simpson at their sentencing hearing in February 2020. Not surprisingly he had sought out the company of others in the same situation, he said. The covert investigation ended in April 2019, when most of the Comancheros' hierarchy were arrested on offences of money laundering and participating in an organised criminal group. Vetekina Naufahu admitted the purchase of his late-model Range Rover worth $150,000 was money laundering. Were going to land it there [in New Zealand].. "No it doesn't matter if you delete all my messages already [go] all to the puakas. Dan Satherley Five gang members have been charged following what police are calling a "serious assault" in west Auckland. A charge of participating in an organised criminal group between May 2017 and April 2019 was also admitted by Daniels, who was living in the affluent Auckland suburb of Mellons Bay until his arrest in April last year. more information Accept. The offending was sophisticated, said Justice van Bohemen, with encrypted devices used to avoid detection by police. Over the course of three years, more than a million dollars was deposited and withdrawn. Two more people involved with the Comancheros motorcycle gang have been sentenced after police surveilled a failed million dollar drug deal and a money launderer funnelling stacks of cash through. Others jailed by Operation NovaComancheros vice-president Tyson Daniels has already been sentenced to four years and eight months' imprisonment. All rights reserved. Copyright Star Media Network 2019. Allan Meehan, 35, is the new leader of Australia's most powerful . The money laundering charge relates to his late-model Range Rover, worth around $150,000, while the organised crime charge carries the most significant penalty of up to 10 years in prison. We believe this corresponds with a fair use of any such copyrighted material (referenced and provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law). We respect every Motorcycle Club that adheres to proper MC protocol. Australian hairdresserHe Sha was jailed earlier this yearafter he admitted crossing the Tasman to sell pseudoephedrine. He was called the Wire Guy because he laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash in wire transfers overseas. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. When Jesse Vella stood to farewell his father, he must have appeared the picture of loyalty. But months later those colours had run and Jesse Vella had joined the Rebels' rivals the Comancheros. Photo: Supplied, The Comancheros posted photographs on Instagram to announce the establishment of a New Zealand chapter. By Leighton Keith, Open Justice reporter of, Comanchero Motorcycle Club president Pasilika Naufahu has been denied parole for a second time in four months. The defence has yet to have its arguments heard. Your pseudo is worth nothing without their cash, the man says. The cheap wholesale price of $120,000 per kilogram was agreed to by both parties, in a deal the police believed would weigh at least 100kg (a nice number with two zeros). You set up the trusts and lent respectability, as a lawyer, to a criminal organisation.. You set up the trusts and lent respectability, as a lawyer, to a criminal organisation.". Comanchero MC Mick Hawi Duax Ngakuru - President Duax Ngakuru was elected as the Comanchero MC National President in 2009. This website may contain copyrighted material, the use of which may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Around the same time, a consignment of a kitchen stovetops shipped from the United States had been seized by Customs and examined. Neither man was charged with drug offences. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. He had a number of convictions in Australia, including for violence. Former ACT president of Comancheros bikie gang Peter Zdravkovic jailed over fraud, drug possession Victoria Police Police Detective Horrific Arrest Melbourne Fight South Possible explosives found in Narre Warren after two Comanchero bikies arrested Melbourne Restaurants Fire Inside Concert Concerts Bikies arrested after Melbourne shootout The Australian motorcycle gang established a chapter in New Zealand after 14 members were deported as so-called "501s", in reference to the section of Australia's immigration law used to revoke visas on "character" grounds. File photo. More rain could further damage Central Hawke's Bay's rural roads, Comanchero gang leader Pasilika Naufahu jailed for 10 years, 'Largest ever' meth bust in NZ: Police, Customs seize 613kg of the drug, Comancheros-linked would-be drug courier jailed over failed deal, 'We have land that is build-ready': Housing minister considers temporary Hawke's Bay villages, Prolific 'pork' tag appears in Auckland 1000 times in just over one year, Immigration declines residency visa for family of much-needed Wairoa nurse, Some freight railway lines will remain closed for months due to Cyclone Gabrielle damage - KiwiRail. You clearly knew the money was derived from significant importation of drugs.. Justice Sally Fitzgerald convicted Naufahu of the three offences and scheduled a sentencing date of October 23, 2020, alongside his fellow . Intercepted communications and video taken by police showed the man and Naufahu meeting, but Mansfield QC argued the meetings involved money laundering and not pseudoephedrine. Hakaraia offered cover as a professional service provider and businessman by reviewing the accounts of the concrete business, Johnstone said. The president of the NZ chapter of the Comancheros, Pasilika Naufahu, started his trial standing alongside fellow gang member Connor Clausen, accountant Wiwini Hakaraia, as well as a media personality and a woman - who both have name suppression. Two days before Christmas, December 23, 2018, Rahman left New Zealand but not before receiving a backpack full of cash. The five were arrestedfollowing a series of raidsacross Auckland in April 2019 in which more than $3.7 million in assets were seized along withluxury cars, motorbikes, high-end luggageand jewellery. Mr Naufahus resurrection of his gang affiliations and his resort to offending in Auckland was virtually guaranteed when he was deported to New Zealand.. 'I got hooked then and there': Conservationist in her 80s documents rare sea lion species, Race and erasure: Why the world's other humanitarian crises don't see the same response as Ukraine. He told them Naufahu arrived in New Zealand from Australia in early 2016 and quickly went about establishing the New Zealand chapter of the Comancheros. Thieves get their hands dirty on building sites, what the Governments latest Kiwibuild changes could mean for you, and a female officer knocked out in a vicious attack in the latest New Zealand Herald headlines. However, that is a consequence of your decisions.". Naufahu previously admitted participating in an organised criminal group, unlawful possession of ammunition and four charges of money laundering, in relation to the purchase of his Bucklands Beach house. Comanchero Motorcycle Gang members have been arrested in Auckland. Simpson was reckless and brought the legal profession into disrepute, however, the judge was satisfied he was genuine in his remorse. It talks about being able to pay off $200,000 of a mortgage, and spend the rest of his life on holiday around the world. "I deeply regret a father being separated from his family. A video, taken by police, was played at trial showing the brother of a man who the Crown says is at the heart of the case and an Australian hairdresser meeting with Clausen. Photo: Supplied, Connor Clausen during the first day of the Operation Nova trial at the High Court in Auckland. The Comancheros New Zealand president and two other senior gang members will spend a further three months behind bars after pleading guilty to assaulting a prisoner. Around the same time, a consignment of a kitchen stovetops shipped from the United States had been seized by Customs and examined. At the sentencing on Friday, Crown prosecutor David Johnstone said the defence had tried to unreasonably minimise Naufahus culpability as the leader of the criminal group. Im going to land it between you and me [Ill give you] all the f***en work you can handle. In July, a 60-year-old man who travelled to Mexico was sentenced to 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to four charges of importing a Class A drug after being identified in Operation Nova. The call was made in Mexico and the caller was identified as Rahman; a Fijian-Indian who lived in Suva, who had dual Canadian citizenship and travelled regularly to Mexico and the United States. "Welcome to A-grade. When detectives told him that an audio device had been covertly installed in his hotel room on Queen St, Rahman said: "Oh shit". Later that day, the man yells at Sha that he is wasting time and is going to blow the deal. Then in February 2019, two separate consignments from the United States - a "waffle maker" and "coffee brewer"- were stopped at the border by Customs, each containing 2.9kg of methamphetamine. Rahman returned to New Zealand and was arrested by the National Organised Crime Group, along with the 19-year-old from Mexico and a 33-year-old Chinese man called Hui Wang. Twitch is the world's leading video platform and community for gamers. Naufahu and Clausen are charged alongside Sha and the brother of a man who theCrown say is at the heart of the casewith consipiring to supply pseudoephedrine. Vetekina and Fonua now join Tyson Daniels, the clubs vice-president, and Auckland lawyer Andrew Simpson in being convicted of laundering criminal profits. He was convicted of the murder of Hells Angels MC Anthony Zervas. The word puakas was translated by police as 'pigs'. Last week, the clubs treasurer Fonua also pleaded guilty to money laundering and participating in an organised criminal group. "We still had many more memories to make, we still had so much more to do. I'm on a big case over here.". Comancheros vice-president Tyson Daniels has already been sentenced to four years and eight months' imprisonment. Vetekina Naufahu pleaded guilty to three charges at a High Court hearing this morning, held by audio-visual link because of the Covid-19 lockdown in Auckland. The media personality is charged with participating in an organised criminal group and two charges of money laundering including the purchase of two concrete pumps totalling $439,700. Biker News does not belong to or support any Club. Shortly after, Sha talks with someone on the phone and tells the man your boss cancelled. The day before, the man was observed leaving a Karaka address in a ute, Detective Sergeant Damian Espinosa said. When you work carefully through the glimpse of reality behind the secrets and pretending, the picture is perfectly clear, Johnstone said. Go to the back of the car and put it in the boot, the man says. And it came just days after "Mick" Hawi, the former national president of the Comancheros in Australia, was fatally gunned down in a Sydney gym carpark, by two masked men in broad daylight. However, that is a consequence of your decisions.. Gang president Pasilika Naufahu was among those put behind bars, sentenced to 10 years' jail after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply the Class B drug pseudoephedrine. After stopping at a cafe, the pair get back into the vehicle and the man can be heard telling Sha about how the area is one of the most policed areas in the country all gang squad. Pasilika Naufahu is on trial for drug, money laundering and organised crime charges. (First published September 2020). You are not permitted to download, save or email this image. Mick Hawi was a former Comanchero MC President. I've told you so many times, don't send me messages," the text read. (First published in April 2019), luxury cars, motorbikes, high-end luggage, Comancheros gang president Pasilika Naufahu jailed for 10 years, Comancheros: Man who bought car for gang vice-president gets community detention, Comancheros: Gang president found guilty of money laundering and drugs charges, the character section of the Australian Migration Act, Mystery over Joseph Ahuriri deepens after truck spotted day of disappearance, Driver in fatal accident appeals her careless driving conviction, Judge to businesswoman - sell your mansion to pay your $10m debt, Thrift club: I save money by avoiding supermarkets, Doctor returned to US seven hours after crash that left chef with spinal injuries, Why we need to call time on the 10am check-out deadline, Quiz: Afternoon trivia challenge: March 2, 2023, Pilot inexperience key factor in helicopter crash that killed couple, injured children, Rob Campbell says ministers 'targeted' him after he stood up for co-governance, 'Much loved' community man killed in crash near Hanmer Springs. 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