The offending was sophisticated, said Justice van Bohemen, with encrypted devices used to avoid detection by police. 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. 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. Justice Sally Fitzgerald convicted Naufahu of the three offences and scheduled a sentencing date of October 23, 2020, alongside his fellow Comanchero Jarome Fonua. At trial, the Crowns case was that Naufahu arrived in New Zealand with zero dollars in his bank account. At trial, Naufahu was found guilty of two charges of money laundering in relation to the purchase of a Bentley and a Ford Ranger. On Tuesday, the Court of Appeal denied Naufahus appeal over the charge of conspiring to supply pseudoephedrine. Photo / Jason Oxenham He had strong support from his wife and sister and had also completed Saili Matagi, a rehabilitation programme tailored for inmates of Pasifika heritage. On the sentence appeal, Mansfield QC argued Justice Lang gave insufficient credit to reflect the challenges Naufahu has faced. Money was deposited at banks in amounts less than $10,000, in a bid to avoid triggering the banks' reporting threshold, then funnelled through trust and company accounts to disguise their criminal origins. 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. An outlaw motorcycle club is a motorcycle subculture.It is generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals that purport to celebrate freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture, and loyalty to the biker group.. Naufahu, who has a statutory release date of July 2028, would be seen again by the board before the end of December 2023. 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. Justice Graham Lang sentenced him today in the High Court at Auckland. Rahman was unknown to the team of detectives running Operation Nova until he was overheard talking to one of the "frontmen", who cannot be named for legal reasons, whose phone conversations were bugged by police. Two days before Christmas, December 23, 2018, Rahman left New Zealand but not before receiving a backpack full of cash. Photo / Supplied In sentencing Daniels - who was wearing a black and gold Versace top - to four years and eight months. He had admitted participating in an organised criminal group and nine money laundering charges which came from purchasing a swag of expensive vehicles. But he had endeavoured to provide his wife and four children with the life he never had, he said. "It's hard to accept the fact, you left us so soon. There was nearly 5kg of methamphetamine inside. "From the way that I talk from the way that I move. A lawyer was used to set up trusts for Naufahu and other group members. Everything went quiet until Rahman flew into Auckland International Airport on December 18, 2018, and checked into a hotel on Queen St, the Four Points by Sheraton. Naufahu, however, believed he had been treated seriously unfairly and he would not be transferred to another prison to complete the programme. The 35-year-old was sentenced to 10 years in prison in February 2021 for participating in an organised criminal group, conspiring to deal in a Class B controlled drug, money laundering, unlawful possession of ammunition and assault. 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. Justice Sally Fitzgerald convicted Naufahu of the three offences and scheduled a sentencing date of October 23, 2020, alongside his fellow . You know the puakas get all my messages," the text read. A shipment of 613 kilograms of methamphetamine - with what police say is a retail value of more than $245 million - was stopped at Auckland Airport last Thursday. Young said the board was confident the programme recommended was the appropriate risk-based treatment for him and hoped he would undertake it with an open mind. How many times do I need to say - I'm gonna get arrested soon. Members made a splash in 2018 with social media posts of black and gold-clad members gathered around gold-plated motorcycles. One of the Comanchero members pictured is Pasilika Naufahu, once a senior member of the gang in Sydney, who was deported two years ago, according to the New Zealand Herald. Those guilty verdicts mean that since the Herald on Sunday revealed the infamous Instagram post announcing their arrival in 2018, five of the six founding members of the New Zealand Comancheros have been convicted of either serious drug or money laundering offences. More than $4 million worth of assets were seized. Officers then observed the ute park up in Howick next to a white Range Rover. "Dad", the text says, "don't send me these," then another, "I told you to use your brain". We do not accept Mr Naufahu played anything other than a major and significant role in the conspiracy to supply pseudoephedrine.. Police feared the gang's connections to international organised crime groups and sophisticated tradecraft would give it outsized influence in New Zealand's criminal underworld. Jul 2019. Naufahu had been a sergeant-at-arms for the Comancheros in Australia, where he had had a high level of involvement in the gang, together with his brother. He is charismatic.". Earlier, two other men, one of whom will be called as a witness, discuss buying an airplane and whether the particular model could fly all the way from Auckland to Fiji without stopping for fuel. Copyright Star Media Network 2019. 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. "We can see no reason why he cannot transfer prisons to undertake that programme and we hope that can happen as soon as reasonably possible," Young said. Biker News does not belong to or support any Club. New Zealand 'A changed man': Comanchero vice-president Tyson Daniels released from prison after money laundering $2.6 million worth of luxury cars By Jared Savage 27 Aug, 2022 11:40 AM 4 mins. 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. However, that is a consequence of your decisions.". Photos / Michael Craig; Chelsea Boyle; Supplied Edited extract from Gangland: New Zealand's Underworld of Organised Crime, by Jared Savage ( HarperCollins NZ, RRP $ 36.99). The police investigation was into the supply of controlled drugs from the New Zealand chapter of the Comanchero Motorcycle Club. Intercepted communications between a man and an Australian hairdresser who allegedly orchestrated a $1 million drug deal of pseudoephedrine for the Comanchero MC president have been played in court. 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. The president of the Comanchero Motorcycle Club has been jailed after being found guilty of sophisticated money laundering and drugs charges. No more games there is more than a million dollars coming. Naufahu was jailed for 10 years by Justice Graham Lang in February over his role in a sophisticated money laundering and drugs scheme. Est. He was "surprised" to be deported given his imprisonment in Australia had been in short stints. This is the biggest gang in New Zealand, if they put word on the street about you, no-one comes near you.. You clearly knew the money was derived from significant importation of drugs.. Later that afternoon, the man is heard telling Sha to tell the guy thats coming with the pseudo to drop it in the boot. Most updated Motorcycle community news from all the World, Motorcycle Clubs news, 1%er news. The Comanchero Motorcycle Club New Zealand president feared he was about to be arrested eight months before a major police bust and also suspected police were bugging his phone, a jury has been told. The president of the Comanchero Motorcycle Club has had a year knocked off his jail term. Fonua, the gang's secretary was sentenced to four years and six months and drug runner Connor Clausen was jailed in December for three years and eight months. File photo. Ahead of the trial, another two gang members Jarome Fonua and Vetekina Naufahu also pleaded guilty. Naufahu - whose brother Pasilika is the president of the New Zealand chapter of the Australian motorcycle club - also pleaded guilty to possession of MDMA, or Ecstasy, which is a Class-B controlled drug. The #1 Biker News Website Since 2011-Covering up to minute biker news including Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs & Biker News Worldwide. Defence lawyer Ron Mansfield said Naufahu had been deported from Australia as a 501, arriving here with no support network in place. Three days later, Rahman's 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. Comancheros gang president Pasilika Naufahu has sentence reduced Catrin Owen 12:24, Oct 05 2021 RICKY WILSON/STUFF Pasilika Naufahu was jailed for his part in a drug and money laundering. Comanchero Motorcycle Club president Pasilika Naufahu has been denied parole for a second time in four months. Comancheros New Zealand chapter president Pasilika Naufahu photographed during his sentencing in Auckland High Court last year on drug and money laundering charges. Meet the heavily tattooed underworld boss who has taken over as president of Australia's most powerful bikie gang the Comancheros. When you work carefully through the glimpse of reality behind the secrets and pretending, the picture is perfectly clear, Johnstone said. Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook The Comancheros gang boss has been denied parole for a second time in four months because he is still considered an excessive risk if released. 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. The brother of the Comanchero gang president has been jailed after moving to New Zealand to help his deported sibling. "Mr Daniels spoke about his high-risk situations, how he will stay away from old associates and a pro-social future he plans," the Parole Board wrote in its July decision. Photo: Michael Craig, A New Zealand chapter of the Comancheros gang was established in 2018 after members were deported from Australia. Naufahu has denied conspiring to import a class A drug, conspiring to supply class B drug pseudoephedrine and three charges of money laundering, namely using $212,796.96 towards purchasing a Bentley, Ford Ranger and a concrete pump. '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. The gang was joined by others whose skills and attributes helped the flow of financial rewards, the court heard. The gang boss was also found guilty, along with Connor Clausen, of conspiring to supply pseudoephedrine. Over the course of three years, more than a million dollars was deposited and withdrawn. The Vice President of Comanchero NZ released on parole Content Created by Grid Sparta Photo: Supplied, Senior Comancheros Tyson Daniels, left, and Jarome Fonua have pleaded guilty to money laundering and participating in an organised criminal group. He had difficulty obtaining a bank account, accommodation and employment, he said. #gridsparta #comancheroFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/GridSpartaInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/gridspartaWe'd love you to submit your videos for pub. The Crown produced other bugged phone calls and photographic evidence of multiple people depositing small sums of money at various banks accounts. Operation Nova was launched in late 2018 because police were concerned about the Comancheros' connections to international organised crime figures, and the gang's immediate impact - along with other Australian outlaw motorcycle clubs - on New Zealand's criminal underworld. Jesse Vella, nephew of former Rebels President Alex Vella and cousin of current President Damien Vella, touched upon the club in the poem he read at the service. The president of the Comanchero Motorcycle Club president Pasilika Naufahu came to New Zealand in 2016 and went about setting up the gang for monetary gain while those around him enjoyed the benefits, the Crown say. The Crown said Naufahu told one person to download 'Signal', an encrypted messaging app, and discusses with his brother about getting their father to use it. Earlier this month Naufahu admitted participating in an organised criminal group, four charges of money laundering and being in possession of ammunition. Naufahus lawyer Ron Mansfield said his client is a good husband and father to four children, who tried to set up a life in New Zealand after being deported under the 501 scheme. The late admissions come shortly before the pair were due to stand trial at the High Court in September, along with other members of the gang and their associates on charges laid in April 2019 following Operation Nova. Pasilika Naufahu is on trial for drug, money laundering and organised crime charges. Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read. The 501 scheme is the the character section of the Australian Migration Act that allows the cancellation of visas. The Parole Board rulings released to the Herald on Sunday showed that Daniels had a strong work ethic and was considered to be "compliant and respectful" by Corrections staff. 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. At school Naufahu was bullied for his speech and skin colour, and he used violence to deal with this which won the approval of his father who had previously been violent. Daniels politely declined to comment to the Herald on Sunday. 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. Vetekina Naufahu joins two other senior members of the Comanchero motorcycle club in admitting charges of money laundering and participating in an organised criminal group following the covert police investigation Operation Nova. 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. In 2018, as part of Operation Nova, police detectives from the National Organised Crime Group covertly filmed a drug deal involving the Comancheros motorcycle gang. The house was purchased with Naufahus 7-year-old son listed as the owner. Visit image gallery to purchase the image. Clausen had his appeal dismissed earlier this year. 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. "We are satisfied he is at high risk of re-offending given his past, given his personality, and given his involvement in the Comancheros gang.". There was nearly 5kg of methamphetamine inside. The Crown has opened its case against Comancheros gang boss Pasilika Naufahu on drug and money laundering charges. (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. Pasilika Naufahu was sentenced by Justice Graham Lang on Friday. In sentencing Daniels - who was wearing a Versace top in Comanchero colours of black and gold - to four years and eight months in prison, Justice Gerard van Bohemen said the senior gang member played a crucial role overseeing the gang's operations for significant personal gain. In sentencing Daniels who was wearing a Versace top in Comanchero colours of black and gold to four years and eight months in prison, Justice Gerard van Bohemen said the senior club member played a crucial role overseeing the clubs operations for significant personal gain. 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. Clausen also admitted being in possession of a pistol and ammunition and a pump-action shotgun and shells. When detectives told him that an audio device had been covertly installed in his hotel room on Queen St, Rahman said: "Oh shit". 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. "No it doesn't matter if you delete all my messages already [go] all to the puakas. more information Accept. The president of the Comanchero Motorcycle Club president Pasilika Naufahu came to New Zealand in 2016 and went about setting up the gang for monetary gain while those around him enjoyed the benefits, the Crown say. Im going to land it between you and me [Ill give you] all the f***en work you can handle. Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook. Despite this, Simpson was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison. Vetekina Naufahu admitted the purchase of his late-model Range Rover worth $150,000 was money laundering. 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. Pasilika Naufahu and fellow Comancheros, wives, partners and families commenced a lifestyle both living and working together and benefited from a series of offences, Johnstone said. Hakaraia offered cover as a professional service provider and businessman by reviewing the accounts of the concrete business, Johnstone said. '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. Last week, the clubs treasurer Fonua also pleaded guilty to money laundering and participating in an organised criminal group. Mick Hawi was a former Comanchero MC President. 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. Biker News does not belong to or support any Club. "Everything that I am today, I owe it all to you. All rights reserved. Later that day, the man yells at Sha that he is wasting time and is going to blow the deal. The poaching is seen as a power move by Meehan, who only recently took over as President after former boss Mick Murray was arrested in April over a 2019 murder. The gang's secretary Jarome Fonua has previously been jailed for his part in the drug operation. He was convicted of the murder of Hells Angels MC Anthony Zervas. This stabbing attack occurred as part of the Sydney Airport Brawl in 2009. In August,club treasurer Jarome FonuaandVetekinaadmitted their parts in the operation. 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. "Wait until you see me then talk to me. The deal never went ahead. Comanchero Motorcycle Gang members have been arrested in Auckland. Pasilika Naufahu at his sentencing today in the High Court at Auckland. "He did not think in any event that programme would be helpful for him because he did not consider he was a violent person and so that would be essentially a waste of time for him.". For Vella, forever lasted until last week, when he posed in Comancheros colours with their new President Alex Meehan. The Comancheros are participants in the United Motorcycle Council of NSW, which convened a conference in 2009 to address legislation aimed against the "bikie" clubs, their poor public image in the wake of several violent clashes and ongoing biker wars, and defusing deadly feuds such as the Comancheros' battles with the Hells Angels. Justice Lang said despite Naufahu steadfastly denying being involved in drug dealing, his conviction was useful insight in to the modus operandi of the gang. By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. 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). Money was deposited at banks in amounts less than $10,000, in a bid to avoid triggering the banks reporting threshold, then funnelled through trust and company accounts to disguise their criminal origins. The true source of the money was a secret and the group had to use a range of tactics to pretend the source was legitimate, the Crown said. More than 80 police officers were involved in the raids, which led to about $4 million of assets being seized, including firearms and several luxury vehicles such as a Rolls-Royce Wraith and gold-plated Harley-Davidson motorcycles.