Two police staff - one a prosecutor - and a millionaire businessman are among 19 people arrested after a covert investigation targeting a criminal syndicate allegedly making and selling thousands of Ecstasy pills every week.

Confidential police information was also allegedly leaked to members of the group.

About $14 million worth of assets were seized yesterday in raids.

They included multimillion-dollar homes, expensive cars such as Bentleys, BMWs and Range Rovers, jet skis, a boat and pill presses.

The seizures followed a 12-month inquiry into the manufacture, supply and distribution of Class B and C drugs.

Detectives say the syndicate was the biggest player in the underground pill market and sold tens of thousands of tablets - which fetch at least $40 each - a week.

More than 200 police officers executed search warrants at 45 addresses throughout Auckland.

The armed offenders squad was called to two properties.

Fourteen of the 19 arrested appeared in the Auckland District Court yesterday afternoon charged with drug-related offences, including the manufacture and sale of MDMA - the Class-B drug known as Ecstasy - and analogues such as 4-MEC and 4-MMC.

The other five defendants will appear today.

At the centre of the inquiry is the 37-year-old company director who has name suppression to protect the reputation of his business and lucrative overseas contracts. His $3 million property has been seized.

A 30-year-old staff member of the company also has name suppression, as do a 30-year-old hairdresser and her husband.

A 35-year-old from Meadowbank and a 58-year-old from Remuera had their names and occupations suppressed.

The two non-sworn police staff, including a prosecutor, will appear in court today.

Court documents reveal the 36-year-old prosecutor, whose name is suppressed, faces charges of conspiring to supply methamphetamine, a Class-A drug, and participation in an organised criminal group.

The second police staff member is a 34-year-old man.

All but one of the 14 accused was granted bail- Stanley Marshall Alphonsus Leone was recalled to prison.

The 30-year-old faces four charges of manufacture, supply and selling Class B and Class C drugs.

Others who can be named include Johnny Be Good, 35, Rangimarie Kemp, 27, Grant Oswald Petersen, 25, Kevin Sean Challis, 32, Shalendra Singh, 32, Kelvin Sonny Cress, 33, and Brendan Nguyen, 32.

While some of the accused are millionaires, Petersen is a disc jockey, Kemp is a road worker and Challis is a painter.

Nguyen faces 28 charges, including attempting to pervert the course of justice by providing police information to two co-accused.

He is also charged with conspiring with one of the police staff and Allen Bryan Cho to supply methamphetamine. Cho, 36, is on the run from police.

Singh faces 27 charges, including supplying methamphetamine and money laundering more than $100,000 through a bank account connected to Cho.

The head of the Auckland metro drug squad, Detective Inspector Bruce Good, said the syndicate was responsible for the bulk of Ecstasy manufacturing and supply in New Zealand, which involved tens of thousands of pills a week. He said Ecstasy sold for at least $40 a pill.

"What is also of concern is that many of the pills or tablets seized comprise various mixtures of compounds, the effects of which when consumed could be fatal. Some were being manufactured on premises where rat poison was also made."

Police found eight pill presses in Onehunga, Albany and Highbrook, as well as kilos of compound ready to be pressed and tens of thousands of pills.

-NZ Herald

More in the forum here.

Nicogel NZ have started selling a 'new' product (which is actually widely used around the world already) here in New Zealand.

Nicogel is a "tobacco gel", applied to skin as a substitute for cigarette use. Nicogel is a tobacco product, and is not a smoking cessation product. Nicogel gives you the satisfaction from which many users crave, they curb the addiction and are perfect for long haul flights, the movies, the office or workplace, in fact anywhere that you can not smoke. Nicogel has all the components of tobacco but lacks many carcinogens that are formed as cigarettes burn.

Nicogel has now been on the market for 5 years and is available in many countries around the global. It represents a real alternative to tobacco without any of the damaging compounds typically found in tobacco smoke. Because it relies on absorption through the skin (which has been shown to be less than 1 minute by MRI scans), its safe amount of nicotine (typically 50 microgrammes per serve) is sufficient to deliver cigarette satisfaction as it avoids first pass metabolism.

Nicogel has been dermatalogically tested and shown to be suitable for use with sensitive skin. In addition, substantial testing has taken place to demonstrate, by HPLC, that Nicogel is nitrosamine-free, which is in keeping with its manufacture from only uncured tobacco.

Nicogel continues to remain a controversial product as it was the first, and to date the only, tobacco product to offer the smoker cigarette satisfaction without the smoke and its negative impact on health. Thus far any negative reviews of Nicogel have been driven by the tobacco industry or its lobbyists rather than bonafide consumers.

You must note, Nicogel does not claim to be a product that will help a smoker quit. It is a smokeless tobacco based 'cosmetic' product.

Click Here to buy Nicogel in New Zealand

For those hardhouse veterans familiar with the good old Cube days, the phat, driving sound of hardhouse played on vinyl will always have a special resonance. Meltdown Vinyl Sessions is a night dedicated to phat proper hardhouse, a sound that originated from vinyl and had the Cube punters coming back for more for many years. Vinyl sessions is both a tribute to the music itself and the good days at the much loved Cube. For those who never made it to Cube in its heyday, let Meltdown take you there with the sound of Hardhouse the way it was always meant to be played - on vinyl!

Where? Area 6, Newmarket, Auckland

When? 26th Feb

"Trying to explain the net neutrality debate to those that are not already familiar can be a frustrating experience. Thankfully, we now have YouTube videos that can spell these things out for us."

FUZEN have put together a huge line up of Drum and Bass and Dubstep goodness in Zen, and like last year they'll be hosting the Base FM Xmas Beat Bonanza in Fu - one door charge gets you into both!

This Saturday 11th December!

With Fu Bar Featuring Live sets from: SILVA EMCEE & IRON WILL, FJ (Jugglin') & MC HLATS (Yung Shottaz), KOLAB, NOTHING TO NOBODY, EDDIE NUMBERS, MIKEY ROCKWELL And Dj Sets from: GHOST (UK), TOMMY FLOWERS, FUTURE ONE & TIMMY B, KONJAH & ORIGINAL VIBE, PROSPECT, SOLLY, THE MOVEMENT, AVERAGE WHITE DJ

Zen : Zen Drum and Bass: Cern, Tokyo Prose, Jacey, Bugsy, Merge, Malicious Mayhem, Shift, Pakage, Hakomi, Cosine, Rhyas, Soul Science, Basick, Incognito (Paul G and Mitch), Hosted by Danger MC Dubstep: Jason Howson, Grind, Lowquid, Echo Company, PIMMS, Adam the Villian

The BaseFM crew return to FuZen to celebrate another year of dope music, dope events, and dope radio! This years Xmas line-up brings together some of our favourite live groups, currently doing great things in the underground scene - DANCEHALL, REGGAE INFUSED HIPHOP, BOOM BAP HEAD-NODDING BEATS.

With 70+ Djs on rotation on the station everyweek we always looking at given some of our unsung heroes the chance to shine, and rock the crowd on a big soundsystem. Base FM selectors dropping HEAVY BASS, DUBWISE PRODUCTIONS, HIPHOP PARTY ROCKERS, MULTI-GENRE SELECTIONS.

Check out the BASE FM online: basefm.co.nz

$15 presales from Real Groovy, Beat Merchants dashtickets.co.nz - 1 ticket gets you into both FU & ZEN. /// 10pm to late

Facebook Events here;

Zen: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=143028045747440
BaseFM: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=172362326116193

Brand new video to the track 'Back In The Day' by Bulletproof Feat' PNC & David Dallas. I actually really like this track and I think the video is really well done, big ups boys!

"Taken from the 2010 VNZMA Electronic Album Of The Year, "Bulletproof - Soundtrack To Forever","Back In The Day" features the man himself, alongside Aotearoa's two finest rappers, PNC & David Dallas. The clip also features a specialcameo role from one of the country's leading funny guys, Cori Gonzales-Macuer, who understandably, just wants to be down with the cool kids!. This video is a homage to the far out graphics and cheese
ball presenting that we all grew up with on TV in the early 80's, and ads an extra current fluro twist for the new generation and in this Clip, We tip our hat to Sesame Street, Rainbow, 321 Contact, Electric Company and NZ's first music video show Ready To Roll. Directed by Preston McNeil & Produced by Faye McNeil at www.mofresh.co.nz, this track is a sure fire summer hit that the oldies and youngsters can all nod their heads to."

See Jay Bulletproof's youtube page here; http://www.youtube.com/user/jaycyanide

Nikau Rhythm and George FM Present…

The yearly Anniversary Weekend rave in the Coromandel…

Concord Dawn, The Upbeats, Bulletproof and Optimus Gryme!

With MC's Tiki, P Digsss (Shapeshifter), KP (Sunshine Sound System), Rugged Techniques and JDubs at the Coroglen Tavern…

There’s camping available, a massive sound and lighting rig and all the artists are particularly stoked about this gig… it’s going to be a ripper.
Saturday 29th of Jan at The Coroglen TavernTicket link: http://www.dashtickets.co.nz/event/327

This is the 4^th year in a row we have produced this type of show at the Coroglen on this date and every year is bigger and better with artist’s always asking to come and play this show. With the show gaining amazing reviews from all the crowds that attend every year, this is one not to be missed and definitely to be stamped in the calendar of any NZ D&B or Dubstep enthusiasts, or any one keen on a special show that will be talked about for a long time!

Thanks to Nikau Rhythm we have a double pass to give away! Tell us your favourite track by any of the artists in the comments section or the forum and we'll announce a winner mid Jan.

Read More Below

BIGGIE.CO.NZ, TAI HIGH & RADIOACTIVE PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS…
MELTDOWN: A CHERNOBYL XMAS

Featuring: HAZE: A Decade of HardHouse & Manik Live & MC D-TOX

11th December 2010
Area 6 - 6 Osborne St, Newmarket
10pm – 6am R18
$15 tickets available from www.iticketexpress.co.nz / Cosmic Corner
$20 door sales available

First 100 people through the door receive a bonus '2000 – 2010 Haze: A Decade of HardHouse' mix CD featuring Haze's journey through his DJ career to date.

The Christmas special featuring Chernobyl’s finest:

Haze, Manik Live & D-Tox , Abbra b2b Gainzy, Control & Chaos, Heretic, Mr Geez, Rafa Kao, Serum Xmas special Cube vinyl set!, Solvent, Tom Urwin

What to expect:
•    More radiation than a 1980s microwave!
•    Full colour lasers + more lasers and lighting!
•    Xmas themed radioactive décor & visuals!
•    Second room featuring house and DnB
See you there!
Email ‘ This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ’ to join the mailing list (free mixes and info)

Radio Active Productions have given tripme 2 x Double passes to give away. To go in the draw, simply tell us what year did the Chernobyl disaster happen? Comment below. We'll announce the winners November 29th.

Check out this teaser trailer to the documentary DMT: The Spirit Molecule

The Spirit Molecule explores the enigmatic dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a molecule found throughout nature, and considered the most potent psychedelic. In 1995, Dr. Strassman completed the first government-sanctioned, psychedelic research on DMT, with results that may answer humanitys greatest questions. View the Official website here.

For more information about DMT and Joe Rogan explaining his "trip" just click "Read More" and check it out below.