As of Friday, six patched Mongols members and associates had been arrested, Christchurch police said. Immigration NZ also blocked the entry of several patched Mongols members who were planning to travel to the Garden City from the US, where the gang was formed in Los Angeles in the 1960s.

It’s understood they were expected to travel on Saturday from the Cuffs Rd pad to a property in Burnham linked to the gang, and raided earlier this week.

At the Burnham property on State Highway 1, south of Christchurch on Saturday afternoon, two people in Mongols regalia were stationed outside as security. Police in unmarked cars were stopping every vehicle that left the property.

Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said police from the Tasman District met a number of Mongols members and associates as they disembarked from the ferry at Picton on Friday.

“Two drivers linked to the event were forbidden to drive, and one motorcycle was impounded by Tasman Police,” Hill said.

“The group was actively policed as they travelled south through Kaikōura and into Canterbury District.”

At a truck stop at Glasnevin in north Canterbury, police established a checkpoint, where every member of the convoy was stopped and spoken to and their vehicles inspected, Hill said.

As part of that checkpoint, a senior member was forbidden to ride, as the bike he was riding did not comply with the conditions of his licence. A patched Mongols member also had his invalid driver licence confiscated.

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