Two men linked to the Comanchero Motorcycle Club, a gang that has attracted attention in Tonga, are facing serious drug and firearms charges following police raids in south‑east Auckland.
A 33‑year‑old patched Comanchero member has been charged with conspiracy to deal methamphetamine.
A 30‑year‑old associate of the gang is facing multiple charges, including possession of methamphetamine for supply, unlawful possession of a pistol, and unlawful possession of ammunition.
Both men are expected to appear in the Manukau District Court this afternoon.
Detective Inspector Gray said the Comancheros continued to have a damaging effect on communities across the country.
“It’s no secret that the Comancheros gang continue to impose suffering and a negative influence on many communities across this country,” he said.
“Police remain committed to using every opportunity to prevent and disrupt this criminal activity from occurring, and today’s enforcement is a good example of that.”
“Today’s enforcement activity targeted a patched member and an associate of the Comancheros,” Gray said.
During the searches, police located a press believed to have been used to compress bricks of cocaine, along with other items linked to drug distribution. Officers also seized a loaded pistol from one of the properties.
At another address, police discovered nearly one kilogram of a cutting agent, commonly used to dilute illegal drugs, as well as approximately 64 grams of methamphetamine.
Why the case matters to Tonga
As Kaniva News reported recently, Eneasi Taumoefolau, a senior figure associated with the Comanchero gang in Australia, was sentenced in Tonga to life imprisonment after being convicted in a major drug trafficking case.
In 2024, Tonga Police revealed that a deportee from Australia had attempted to establish a local Comanchero branch in the kingdom. Taumoefolau was reportedly the man who attempted to establish the Comanchero gang in Tonga.
At the time, police carried out drug raids across Tongatapu, targeting methamphetamine distribution networks.
Then Police Commissioner Shane McLennan said the raids delivered a significant blow to the gang’s ambitions in Tonga and reinforced the country’s stance against organised criminal groups.
The president of the New Zealand Comanchero gang, Tongian national Pasilika Naufahu, was sentenced in Auckland in 2022 to nine years and three months’ imprisonment after being convicted of money laundering, participation in a criminal gang, conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, unlawful possession of a firearm, and common assault.
He has a final release date in July 2028.
Community and regional concerns
Tonga Police and regional security experts have warned that organised criminal groups are increasingly attempting to extend their reach into Pacific nations, often through deportees with overseas gang ties.
Authorities have repeatedly stressed, however, that such criminal activity involves individual offenders and does not reflect the values of the wider Tongan community.
Police in both New Zealand and Tonga say they remain committed to sharing intelligence and disrupting transnational drug and firearms networks to prevent gangs from becoming entrenched in the region.
