The joint investigation, Operation Depot, led to the arrests of seven men including the ringleader Carlos Motuapuaka. A patched member of the Nomads chapter of the Hells Angels, Motuapuaka was already in custody at Mt Eden prison waiting to stand trial on unrelated firearms charges. But the company knew nothing about the boiler machine and had never employed anyone with that name. The trio started pulling apart the boiler machine inside the container, working through the night until 5am, then resuming the next evening. Paul McAuslin is a member of the Nomads chapter of the Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle gang.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 25, 2026 17:31 UTC