Mark Mitchell: Police Minister defends deporting 11 Vietnamese nationals as part of drug bust

The Police Minister has defended deporting 11 Vietnamese nationals, believed to be part of an organised crime group, after a major drug bust.

The operation targeted 30 rented Auckland properties.

About 3000 plants were destroyed, along with 48 kilograms of dried cannabis - valued at $18 million.

But Mark Mitchell says deporting looked to be less of a hassle than going through the courts.

"They were here illegally, they were going to be a big cost to the taxpayer - the police and Immigration worked together, they had discretion around this and they thought the best thing to do was put them on a plane straight back to Vietnam."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Either due for see Allen, you're the weird one for you.
So it's been revealed that police busted at some stage
eleven Vietnamese immigrants who are growing pot and rented homes
in Auckland and quite a lot of marijuana by the way,
it was about eighteen million dollars worth. But instead of
chucking these guys through the courts like we're doing to
the Tarmaqueyes, they just popped them on a plane back
to Vietnam, said Tatar Police minister Mark Mitchell. Is with

(00:22):
us now on this, Hey match.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Hi here, how are you?

Speaker 1 (00:25):
I'm well, thank you? Why didn't we put them in
the lanner?

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Well? I think that, yes, they were part of a
cannabis operation, but I don't think the police felt like
they were sort of the head of the operation at all.
And the fact of the matter as they were here
illegally and so that obviously between police and immigration, they
felt the best thing was to do, and they have discretion,
was to send them straight back to Vietnam, which I

(00:49):
fully support Ashley.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
But isn't the problem here that it's going to encourage
others to just do the same thing.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
No, I don't think so. I think that. I think
it sends a pretty clear message that we're not going
to tolerate people coming here living here illegally. We're not
going to be taxpawers, are not going to fund them
or support them, and we'll send them straight back to
the country they've come from.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
But Mitch, I mean, if I was sitting over there
and if this was my line of business, I think, geeaids,
that's a pretty sweet deal right there. I can go
over to New zealand grow some pot, make heaps of money,
and then the worst thing that's possibly going to happen
to me is that they send me home. That's not
that bad.

Speaker 2 (01:23):
Well, I think to put some context around and again
I can't talk too much into it because it's an
ongoing investigation. And I don't think that these guys. These
guys were what's called foot soldiers. They went the ones
at the head of it got the police have got
an on well. I don't know, because often they used
as slave labor some of these people as well. But
the reality is this is that they they are illegal

(01:46):
here illegally. They were going to be a big cost
to the text power. The police and immigration work together.
They have discretion around this, they felt that the best
thing to do for us as a country has put
them on a plane straight back to Vietnam. And I'm sure,
I'm sure, I'm sure that they will be in contact
with the officials there to let them know why they're
being returned in the circumstances.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
Is this a one off specific to these guys rather
than a new blanket policy, which is if you're not
from here and we catch you doing something like us,
we'd send you home.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
No, it's not. Every situation is different, and police retain
the discretion in terms of how they deal with it.
I mean, obviously, cannabis is a legal in this country.
It's the police's job to enforce the law. But police
will exercise discretion as to whether or not to prosecute.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
Listen, what is the story with this three year old
caught up in the gang raids in the portoquy? Was
this three year old unattended for ours?

Speaker 2 (02:39):
Look, I don't know. I've only just heard about that
myself today, but I can tell you that I was
over at Potokey just a few days ago meeting with
the EUE, and there was a couple of anecdotal stories
that were floating around that related to children that were
proved not to be accurate. My own experience is that
the police are outstanding. They specially sense of around dealing
with kids. A lot of police officers are parents themselves,

(03:00):
and the police have done an outstanding job with the
work they've done over on the East Coast. The people
of a Podoque, the community, you feel like they've got
some breathing space now in a chance to reset it.
I'm very proud of the work that has been done.
There's been a lot of a motive language and accusations
made out there, none of it verified and certainly the

(03:20):
meeting that I had with the EWE and a Podokey
was very positive.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
I mean, okay, so if you don't know, do you
genuinely not know anything about this? Cops haven't told you anything?

Speaker 2 (03:30):
Well, yes, So the information I have from the police
is that no, there's no no three year olds left
in the that have to come forward with the details
on it. Because the information that I have, the cops.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
Are disputing this. They say no three year old was
caught up in this.

Speaker 2 (03:45):
Well, yes, there's no evidence, is no one of the
examples that was given to me when I was when
I met with the EWI is that there were three
children that were left in a school that turned out
that was not and both parents are arrested. It turns
out that that was not the case at all. So
these cases are sort of brought forward the very emotive

(04:05):
and my experience, like I said to you, a lot
of the police officers out doing this work and doing
outstanding appearents themselves and they'll make sure that they look
after and care for children. So I just think that
it's it's very emotive. If someone can come through, come
forward with clear evidence that this has happened, then of
course it needs to be looked at next and taken

(04:26):
But to this point, no one has come forward with
any clear evidence of anything in terms of the police
other than the have done an outstanding job.

Speaker 1 (04:33):
Mitch, Thank you, appreciate you having a chat to us.
Abotter is Mike Mitchell, the Police Minister.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
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