When Jesse Vella stood to farewell his father, he must have appeared the picture of loyalty. A psychologist considered a special treatment programme for violent offending would adequately meet Naufahu's rehabilitative needs. A lawyer was used to set up trusts for Naufahu and other group members. We are making these materials available in an effort for news reporting or educational purposes. The president and his brother, Vetekina, also received regular monthly payments from a business in Australia, the court heard. 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. He is charismatic.". Vetekina and Fonua now join Tyson Daniels, the gang's 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. Two days before Christmas, December 23, 2018, Rahman left New Zealand but not before receiving a backpack full of cash. You are not permitted to download, save or email this image. File photo. Clausen had his appeal dismissed earlier this year. 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. The gang boss was also found guilty, along with Connor Clausen, of conspiring to supply pseudoephedrine. They will be sentenced on October 23. 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. 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 Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read. Neither man was charged with drug offences. You clearly knew the money was derived from significant importation of drugs.. 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. He said: Youre going to start off with a nice number with two zeroes. The reality was that [the media personality] was running [the concreting business] for the joint benefit for himself and the organised criminal group, Johnstone said. You made it work. 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"He accepted that he lived a high lifestyle, but he said he has now learned that reconnection with his culture and family is more important.". You set up the trusts and lent respectability, as a lawyer, to a criminal organisation.. "From the way that I talk from the way that I move. Jurors have been told intercepted calls show coded conversations, discussion of hundreds of thousands of dollars and a suspicion that police had tapped mobile phones. Neither man was charged with drug offences. He had a number of convictions in Australia, including for violence. 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. A concreting business was used as a disguise to pay salaries to the group and the media personality was listed as the director, the court heard. The offending was sophisticated, said Justice van Bohemen, with encrypted devices used to avoid detection by police. Copyright Star Media Network 2019. 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. Aged between 18 and 24, all are members of the Comancheros gang, said Det. Naufahu, who has a statutory release date of July 2028, would be seen again by the board before the end of December 2023. Despite this, Simpson was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison. One Saturday morning in August 2018 - months before the April 2019 raid - a person who police say is Naufahu's father, sends him a text. These include electronic monitoring with a curfew between 10pm-6am, not to use drugs, not to communicate or associate with co-offenders, or anyone connected to the Comancheros. In the absence of his colleagues, the 20-year-old was promoted as the acting "commander" until his arrest in another covert investigation, Operation Cincinnati, in late 2020. This website may contain copyrighted material, the use of which may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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. At the Court of Appeal, Ron Mansfield QC argued the statements made by a man who has name suppression, should have been ruled inadmissible because there was an absence of reasonable evidence that Naufahu was a member of the $1m conspiracy to supply pseudoephedrine. Allan Meehan, 35, is the new leader of Australia's most powerful . Australian hairdresserHe Sha was jailed earlier this yearafter he admitted crossing the Tasman to sell pseudoephedrine. It demonstrated the drug dealing was conducted from a distance by others on his behalf, Justice Lang said. Jurors are also sitting in front of plastic screens. 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. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . 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've banked those cheques about a 100,000 in Kiwi's one. 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. Most updated Motorcycle community news from all the World, Motorcycle Clubs news, 1%er news. 'Insider threat': Shipping container linked to gang vanishes on truck with help of port worker Gangs of New Zealand: Inside the 'uncontrolled growth' of the gang scene - NZ Herald. Dan Satherley Five gang members have been charged following what police are calling a "serious assault" in west Auckland. Photo: Michael Craig, A New Zealand chapter of the Comancheros gang was established in 2018 after members were deported from Australia. Daniels, the vice-president, was later convicted along with president Pasilika Naufahu and his brother Vetekina, as well as the club's treasurer, Jarome Fonua. Topics Selection,Research, Editing, Correction Policy and Ethics, A MONGOL who survived a bullet to the brain in an alleged attempted hit by two rival Finks gunmen says he has little memory of the attack. 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. The Comancheros gang was founded in Sydney in the 1960s and has been growing in size and influence in New Zealand in recent years. If you wish to use any copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain expressed permission from the copyright owner. "Everything that I am today, I owe it all to you. Naufahu was jailed for 10 years by Justice Graham Lang in February over his role in a sophisticated money laundering and drugs scheme. The Australian underworld was left shocked by the high-profile switch, which one source told News.com.au shows that the Comacheros do "what they want, when they want". "Dad", the text says, "don't send me these," then another, "I told you to use your brain". 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. 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. 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. Photo: Supplied, Senior Comancheros Tyson Daniels, left, and Jarome Fonua have pleaded guilty to money laundering and participating in an organised criminal group. Justice Sally Fitzgerald convicted Naufahu of the three offences and scheduled a sentencing date of October 23, 2020, alongside his fellow . At trial, the Crown said Naufahu was the source of $1m which was meant to be used to purchase pseudoephedrine, but the suppliers withdrew. Jul 2019. Comanchero Motorcycle Club president Pasilika Naufahu has been denied parole for a second time in four months. 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. 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. After a lengthy and high-profile jury trial last year, Naufahu was found guilty of two money-laundering charges - one in respect of a Ford Ranger and the other a $102,075 Bentley. "Wait until you see me then talk to me. There were "hints" in some of the reports that he was considering a change in lifestyle but the judge viewed the likelihood of that as remote. READ MORE: * Comancheros: Man who bought car for gang vice-president gets community detention * Comancheros: Gang president found guilty of money laundering and drugs charges * Comanchero trial: Media personality ran company to 'disguise offending' Crown * Comanchero trial: 'Secrets and pretending' used to disguise offending, Crown says * Comancheros President Pasilika Naufahu admits some charges ahead of trial. Despite this, Simpson was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison. Shortly after, Sha talks with someone on the phone and tells the man your boss cancelled. Est. "You made it work. Justice Graham Lang sentenced him today in the High Court at Auckland. 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