Gov't welcomes arrest in New Zealand infant formula poison threat case
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E-mail Xinhua, October 13, 2015
New Zealand Police said Tuesday they have arrested a man in connection with a threat to poison cans of infant formula, which forced the government to reassure consumers at home and abroad earlier this year.
A 60 year-old Auckland businessman had been charged in connection with the criminal blackmail threat to poison infant formula with the poison 1080 made public in March.
The arrest followed police searches of five premises in Auckland and the Rangitikei district of the lower North Island earlier Tuesday.
He had been charged with two counts of blackmail, each charge relating to the threat letters sent to dairy giant Fonterra and the Federated Farmers industry group in November last year.
The charges carry a sentence of up to 14 years in prison.
The man would appear in the Manukau District Court in Auckland later Tuesday, said a statement from the police.
Commissioner Mike Bush, New Zealand's top police officer, said the arrest followed a long and complex investigation.
"This investigation is one of the biggest undertaken by police in recent times, and reflects how seriously we view this kind of crime," Bush said in the statement.
The investigation, dubbed Operation Concord, had involved a 35- strong investigation team, plus specialist support staff.
"Today's arrest is the result of dedicated investigative work over many months. The Operation Concord team has demonstrated a meticulous approach in managing large volumes of information and applying a range of forensic techniques in gathering evidence," said Bush.
Police interviewed more than 60 significant persons of interest and more than 2,600 people were considered by the investigation team over the course of the enquiry.
Bush said the investigation had received assistance from a large number of organizations.
"Particular credit should go to the people of New Zealand and elsewhere who reacted to the threat in a measured and considered way," said Bush.
Police Minister Michael Woodhouse welcomed the arrest as a milestone in a long and complex investigation over the past 11 months.
"The investigation is one of the most significant undertaken by police in recent times," Woodhouse said in a statement.
The threat forced the Ministry for Primary Industries, the agency responsible for food safety, and government ministers to assure buyers of New Zealand infant formula at home and abroad that the product was safe.
The letters sent to Federated Farmers and Fonterra in November last year were accompanied by small packages of milk powder that subsequently tested positive for the presence of a concentrated form of 1080.
The letters threatened to contaminate infant and other formula with 1080 unless New Zealand stopped using 1080 for pest control by the end of March 2015.
Sodium monofluoroacetate, known as 1080, is a poison used to protect New Zealand's native flora and fauna against introduced pests such as possums and ferrets.
Its use has been controversial over the years with opponents saying it poisons non-target animals and contaminates the environment. Endi
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