Navy officer Darren Katipa jailed over Comancheros’ 1.5-tonne cocaine plot off Tauranga coast

Craig KapitanSenior Multimedia Journalist·NZ Herald·20 Oct, 2026 07:44 PM11 mins to read‌New Zealand Police say they have dealt a "huge blow" to organised crime after a major trans-national sting resulted in 35 arrests and $3.7 million in assets seized.For five years, the Royal New Zealand Navy tried to impress upon Darren Miini Kerekere Katipa – a warrant officer from Rotorua with a high security clearance and some unsavoury associates – that he was no longer wanted. The career military man first came under fire after disclosing in 2019