April 02, 2019
Pounamu for ‘P’
Pounamu is being treated as a substitute for cash in the West Coast drug trade.
Ownership of the New Zealand greenstone rests with Ngāi Tahu, but Francois Tumahai from Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae says its value as a commodity makes it attractive to those involved with methamphetamine or P.
The floods of last week means there will be a lot of people out fossicking, and some of those won’t be Ngāti Waewae.
"We’re finding a lot of people who are not whānau on a lot of our rivers down here, including the Arahura. The good thing is though because there are so many whānau on there after an event like this they police it and everybody knows everybody so they all know who should and shouldn't be here, and they generally send them packing," Mr Tumahai says.
He recently accompanied police on a raid on a known drug house near Kūmara, where almost a tonne of pounamu was seized.
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