Hells Angels' members refused entry to NZ
Detective inspector Grant Wormald of the Organised Financial Crime Agency of New Zealand (OFCANZ) said the Hells Angels gathering presented a risk of serious offending and harm to the community.
He said OFCANZ teamed up with Immigration New Zealand, Customs and police to stop overseas gang members coming into the country for the event.
Eleven gang members were stopped from entering New Zealand - two were denied visas offshore, seven were offloaded from planes in their home country, and two landed in New Zealand but were refused entry.
"The multi-agency approach meant that we were able to prevent some notorious gang members from entering New Zealand," said Wormald.
"These people are organised criminals, many with long criminal histories relating to drugs and fraud and other serious and violent offending."
Wormald said authorities did not want gang members strengthening ties with their New Zealand counterparts during the anniversary weekend.
"The operation to identify and intervene with international travellers was the direct result of an email located during a search of the Hells Angels Headquarters in Brentwood Avenue, Auckland, in December last year," he said.
"That warrant lead to the arrest of two of the Hells Angels gang who were subsequently charged with dealing and supplying methamphetamine. The email, addressed to Hells Angels chapters worldwide, suggested that they would be a target for law enforcement and border protection officers and suggested a range of methods that could be taken to avoid being detected."
Evidence of the Hells Angels network was also discovered during Operation Explorer in Nelson earlier this year.
Over the weekend Auckland police maintained a presence near the gang headquarters. Several infringement notices written out for driving offences including failing to wear seatbelts, vehicle defects and driving behaviour.
Two people had their licences suspended for demerit point accumulation.
One gang member's motorcycle was seized under warrant for unpaid fines totalling $3800 and three other motorcycles were written off the road because they were unsafe.
"The police will keep a vigilant eye on the gang's activities and those who have attended from as far afield as Whanganui and Hawkes Bay should be warned that their behaviour on the roads heading home will come under close scrutiny," Wormald said.
