Bay of Plenty police believe a key individual has been removed from the illegal supply of firearms, following a guilty plea in the Rotorua District Court this week.
The man pleaded guilty in the Rotorua District Court this week. Photo: RNZ / Andrew McRae
The man pleaded guilty to selling and supplying firearms, unlawfully carrying a firearm and two charges of supplying methamphetamine.
He will be sentenced in July.
Detective Senior Sergeant John Wilson said a 34-year-old man asked two associates to purchase firearms on his behalf and he then sold them on the black market.
The firearms made their way into the hands of unlicenced individuals involved in crime, including gangs, Wilson believed.
Police became aware of the man's activity in December 2020 and began an investigation into his involvement into the illegal supply of firearms, Wilson said.
The man never held a firearms licence, so was unable to purchase firearms from retailers directly, hence why he asked others to buy them for him.
Police would continue to target organised crime groups and individuals who posed a risk through the illegal sale and supply of firearms, Wilson said.
