Teens arrested after mistakenly donating weed stash, cash and gun to NZ op shop

Two Southland teens were arrested last month after leaving a bag outside of a local op shop… and not one full of old clothes looking for a new home.

A volunteer found the bag on February 18, and took it inside the store, thinking it was just another charity donation.

But a strong smell gave the contents of the bag away. Inside were multiple bags of cannabis and a whopping $3.7k in cash. 

Staff immediately called police to report the mysterious drop-off.

While staff were on the phone to the cops, two reportedly agitated teenagers (a male and female) suspiciously started looking around asking for a misplaced bag.

“Thankfully, local police were extremely quick to respond, arriving on the scene to de-escalate the pair, who were becoming increasingly aggressive with shop staff,” a police spokesperson said.

Police arrived on scene and quickly detained the 16-year-old pair under the Search and Surveillance Act.

It turned out the bag containing 43.2 grams of cannabis, scales and the cash had been left outside, not as a generous donation, but as a sneaky temporary hiding spot, while the teens’ car was being serviced down the road.

This led police to do a further search of the vehicle, finding another $810 in cash, as well as an air pistol and police scanner.

“The quick and calm actions of the shop’s staff allowed for a rapid response from the police and a great outcome in recovering drugs, a weapon, a scanner, and a total of $4510 from illegal activity,” the spokesperson added. “Not a bad day at the shop.”

The two teens were arrested and taken from the op shop to the cop shop for further questioning.

Images sourced via NZ Police.