Operation Van – Justin Te Kowhai sentencing: Comancheros commander’s Rotorua-based meth syndicate ‘manager’ jailed in Auckland

Craig KapitanSenior Multimedia Journalist·NZ Herald·3 Sep, 2026 11:19 PM7 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.A Rotorua marae trustee who led a secret life as the “senior manager” for a major methamphetamine syndicate – the man on the ground allegedly tasked with implementing orders from the overseas-based “supreme commander” of the Comancheros – has been handed a prison term of over 17 years. Justin Te