Gang boss on benefit had five vehicles, ‘extensive’ champagne collection, but denies running million-dollar drug op

Friday, 3 July 2026

Prosecutors allege defendants were part of a multimillion-dollar drug network that flew at least 30kg of Class A drugs and millions of dollars around New Zealand in 2024.

The Crown says national Comanchero commander Vetekina Naufahu’s wealth, cash and influence linked him to the operation.

Naufahu’s lawyer says there is no direct evidence tying him to the allegations.

Lawyers for the national commander of the Comanchero Motorcycle Gang say his cash counters, cocaine and “inexplicable affluent lifestyle” do not link him to a multimillion-dollar drug enterprise.

Vetekina Naufahu has been on trial at the High Court at Christchurch for two weeks alongside his lesser-accused co-defendants, Wiremukingi Matakatea, Petelo Sili and Richard John Dodd.

The Crown alleges the group was involved in an organised crime network that flew at least 30kg of Class A drugs and millions of dollars of cash around New Zealand in 2024.

Police busted the enterprise in late August that year, following a months-long investigation which culminated in the arrest of the gang’s entire Christchurch chapter. Seventeen men later admitted their guilt.

In closing submissions, prosecutors Abbie Hollingworth and Claire Boshier claimed the drug supply business and Comanchero gang were one and the same, and, as the national commander, Naufahu must have known about it.

They relied on his regular trips to Christchurch, control over the operation’s members, “otherwise inexplicable affluent lifestyle” and more circumstantial evidence for their case.

A video of Naufahu lecturing others involved in the network - “I don’t f…ing need you, I’ve got f…ing soldiers ready to rock and roll” - was a compelling piece of evidence in its entirety, the prosecutors said.

Shortly after cash runs to Auckland were completed by the syndicate, Naufahu was in possession of thousands of dollars of cash, prosecutors said, and police found two cash counters and 6.6g of cocaine in his home.

He lived an affluent lifestyle, which included extensive shoe and champagne collections, a lavishly furnished home and a Harley Davidson, plus four all-terrain vehicles - while his sole legitimate income was a benefit.

He was either involved in the operation or the victim of “an implausible and unlikely circumstance”, including many members of his hierarchical gang running a multimillion-dollar drug network behind his back, and keeping the proceeds from him, the prosecutors said.

Defence: Reasonable alternative explanations

But Naufahu’s lawyer, Ron Mansfield, KC, submitted the accusations had reasonable alternative explanations, and the national commander’s actions could be explained by his role.

The “overwhelming interpretation” of Naufahu’s communications, including the video, was only that of a national commander seeking to instil order and discipline in the newly formed Christchurch chapter, Mansfield said.

He argued that despite many hours of intercepted conversations and extensive surveillance, in which members spoke freely, there was no single communication the Crown could rely on to directly link Naufahu to the crimes.

The lawyer said his client could have received cash legitimately, or from unrelated Comanchero activity, and the Crown could not say when Naufahu bought certain items in his home, or with what money.

Mansfield said more than $50,000 deposited to Naufahu by others was not suggested to be linked to criminal offending.

“There are a number of other clear or obvious, let alone reasonable and logical, explanations for key pieces of evidence which are not supportive of the inference promoted by the Crown,” Mansfield said.

Lawyers for Matakatea, Sili and Dodd also argued the Crown had not proven their clients were involved in the enterprise and other drug-related accusations beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Press previously reported on the Comanchero South Island commander, the Christchurch treasurer, two young underlings, a pair of identical twins, a barber-turned-drug runner, and another drug transporter.

Justice Rachel Dunningham is scheduled to deliver her verdict in mid-July.