Blair Anderson standing for Christchurch Mayoral Candidate 2025
"Gangsta Culture" serves the political agenda of Five Eyes
"Gangsta Culture" serves the political agenda of Five Eyes. Blair Anderson, Christchurch Mayoral Candidate 2025
I have a problem with the integrity of the reasoning surrounding today's announcement regarding the Federal Bureau of Investigation and New Zealand sovereignty. (Remember Edgar Hoover's manifestation of
'the drug problem' when the FBI lost relevance post the prohibition of the alcohol era).
The media is short on specific details about the FBI's office, which FIRST OPENED IN AUCKLAND in 2022 also focusing on NZ's gang-drug linkages. Now they want a deep dive, but are short on operational
details, so accuracy is crucial.
First, "Where": It's in the US Embassy complex in Central Auckland. It's not just a liaison desk but a physical office opened (June 2022), and note, it is the FBI's first permanent Pacific outpost beyond
Australia.
"Who?" the key agencies involved – FBI obviously, but also NZ Police's National Organised Crime Group, including the Police National HQ Drug Intelligence and Customs. [The FBI agents were likely embedded with NZ counterparts; it's not unilateral; the "joint" aspect is likely a bit too politically sensitive and likely above most media's pay grade in NZ.
"Why" has layers: We heard today that it is to combat meth supply chains (Pacific PIPE) and money laundering. Looking a bit deeper: China's influence in Pacific islands creates a vacuum the US wants to fill via security cooperation.
The Gang angle: NZ gangs now work with transnational cartels, making this an FBI priority. (That's what happens when they hear better stories; it validates the deficit-funded budgets. Itself a terrible way to manage policy efficacy.
Ah, did the media ask? I didn't hear it ask that question? But might it wonder – is this controversial? Yes, but I am yet to hear any NZ politicians call it "sovereignty infringement."
Did the FBI aid Operation Trojan Shield to show impact? Stats on seizures (200kg meth in 2023) might make it credible. But that might reveal more than Police HQ wants us to know.
Could that be the geopolitical tension with China? The previous FBI Director Wray publicly framed it as countering "malign influence," but NZ media downplays that angle. Tricky, but relevant. (I recently
toured Samoa and have gained my own intel on it and Fiji).
Here's my breakdown of the FBI's establishment of an office in Auckland in 2022, and the latest visit to Parliament by the FBI, addressing the Where, Who, and Why:
(My thoughts on Judith Collins)
1. Where: Location and Context Physical Location: The NZ FBI office is housed within the U.S. Embassy complex in Central Auckland (23 Customs Street).
Jurisdiction: It serves as the FBI's first permanent physical presence in the Pacific Islands region (beyond Australia), reflecting New Zealand's strategic role in transnational crime networks.
Timeline: Announced in 2021, officially opened in June 2022.
2. Who: Key Agencies and Personnel Lead Agency: The FBI's International Operations Division, with agents specialising in organised crime, cyber threats, and counterterrorism.
Engaged Partners:
NZ Police: National Organised Crime Group (NOCC),
National HQ Drug Intelligence,
Police Financial Crime Group,
Ministerial Inter-Agency on Drug Policy,
Ministry of Internal Affairs, [ironically a primary driver of 'P' policy]
NZ Customs Services, [focused on border interdiction.]
U.S. Agencies:
DEA, [drugs]
Homeland Security (cyber/security), and
Diplomatic Security Service.
Leadership: The Auckland office is staffed by FBI legal attachés ("Legats") that are embedded with NZ authorities. Operations are, I suspect, coordinated by/with the FBI's Honolulu Field Office
(responsible for the Pacific).
3. Why:
Strategic Objectives.
Primary Motivation: Combat Transnational Organised Crime Methamphetamine ("P"), Cocaine, Heroin, LSD, MDMA, and Cannabis Supply Chains: inc Laundering
NZ gangs (e.g., Mongrel Mob, Headhunters) source meth (and less so precursors) from Mexican cartels (Sinaloa, Jalisco) and Asian syndicates (China, Myanmar). Yep... been there too!
The FBI currently tracks money laundering, shipping routes, and chemical suppliers feeding NZ's meth market (est. worth NZ$1.3+ billion annually, small bananas on a global scale, where the drug
trade is bigger than textiles). Beyond just 'some' Drugs: Policing Cybercrime and Fraud: Disrupt ransomware groups and scams targeting U.S./NZ businesses, also linked to Russian [or North Korean] actors using Pacific infrastructure.
Gang-Cartel Integration: We know there are ties between NZ gangs and global networks (e.g., Australian bikie gangs, U.S. prison gangs).
Geopolitical Factors:
Pacific Pivot: Part of the U.S. "Pacific PIPE" (Pacific Islands Partnership Initiative) to counter China's influence in the region. Organised crime in a prohibition paradigm exploits weak
governance/communications/distances in Pacific islands (e.g., Tonga, Samoa, Fiji) for trafficking.
Intelligence Gap: Prior to 2022, the FBI relied pretty much on intermittent deployments. Its permanent office enables real-time data sharing with NZ agencies AND access to NZ's extensive camera and
cellular network, enabling pattern matching and interagency coordination.
High-Impact Cases have validated the necessity, like Operation Trojan Shield (2023), when FBI/NZ Police used encrypted AN0M devices to infiltrate gangs, leading to 200+ arrests and seizure of
613kg of meth. "Operation Ghost" also in 2023 dismantled a Mongrel Mob-linked network importing meth via fishing vessels, seizing 200kg of meth worth a reported NZ$140m.
4. Controversies and Criticisms, esp. Sovereignty Concerns.
The Green Party questioned FBI overreach, citing risks to NZ's independent foreign policy.
Effectiveness Debate: What does Success vs Failure look like? Seizures spiked (e.g., 2023 meth seizures up 47% from 2021). Touted as a success, it is, in reality, evidence of policy failure. Meth remains
cheap and abundant; gang membership grew 22% post-2022 (NZ Police data).
I am expecting the FBI to prioritise U.S. interests (e.g., fentanyl threats) over NZ's 'homegrown' drug culture and imported prohibition-fueled meth crisis.
So what is the future outlook? We already see the expanded mandate undoubtedly; the office now includes counterterrorism and counterespionage, already citing threats from China/Russia in the
Pacific. (While our WinnieP side steps that one)
Tech-driven policing, especially joint cyber units targeting gang communications on encrypted platforms (e.g., Signal, Telegram, Dark Web, etc.).
Deepening the dialogue, especially targeting 'Māori Partnership', we can expect collaborations with iwi (tribal) police to address gang recruitment fostering mistrust, alienation and the unintended
consequences of 'narc' culture in marginalised communities. Expect more tears before bedtime. In essence, the FBI's Auckland and now Wellington office is a response to NZ's role as a transshipment hub for global drug cartels and its escalating gang-violence crisis.
While 'publicly' it enhances intelligence capabilities, I argue it reflects the USA's 'drug war' policy, legacy of their "hard enforcement" approach that overlooks root causes (poverty, addiction) – and risks entangling NZ in U.S. geopolitical agendas at a crucial time in world affairs.
Just sayin....
Blair Anderson (BlairforMayor/Christchurch 2025) -- Blair Anderson Social Ecologist 'at large' Christchurch, New Zealand nz cell 021 823647
http://facebook.com/mildgreens
