This point frustrated some in the firearms community, who said there was little data to back up the claim and instead believed that organised crime groups smuggled guns from overseas.īut the police now say that a nationwide crackdown on illegal firearms has identified retail diversion or “straw buyers” - a tactic where licensed firearms owners sell guns to criminals - as a much bigger problem than previously thought. Police believe Operation Carbine is the perfect example of how firearms end up in the hands of criminals.įor many years, the police had believed most firearms in criminal hands were stolen from legitimate gun owners. Two of the Alfa Carbine rifles cut down to pistols were found in the possession of Kishor Chandra Singh during Operation Carbine in 2022. The covert police inquiry by the specialist Firearms Investigation Team led to the arrest of Singh and six others in August last year. Some of the guns were also delivered to Auckland during the gang war between the Killer Beez and the Tribesmen last year, according to conversations intercepted during Operation Carbine. He then sold those firearms to members of the Mongrel Mob. On top of the retail cost of $47,000 for the guns and ammunition, Singh paid the “straw buyers” $500 for each Alfa Carbine bought on his behalf. The guns have become highly desirable in the criminal community because they can be easily cut down to pistols. Photo / SuppliedNz Police to Jared SavageĪ career criminal recruited a network of “straw buyers” to purchase nearly $50,000 of firearms and ammunition in just two months, which were then sold on the black market to gangs.Īs a former member of the Hells Angels with a serious criminal history, including drug dealing, Kishor Chandra Singh did not have a licence to own firearms.īut he enlisted the help of three men in the Hawke’s Bay to legally purchase 21 Alfa Carbine rifles, as well as ammunition, from the Gun City store in Napier.
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