• A Dunedin man accused of stealing lifesaving drugs from an air ambulance has been arrested. 
• The theft posed significant risks, with potentially fatal consequences for ambulance patients, police said. 
• The accused, facing multiple burglary charges, is due in Dunedin District Court today. 

A Dunedin man has been charged after critical life-saving drugs were taken from an air-ambulance helicopter. 

Police said they executed a search warrant at an address in the city yesterday and arrested a 31-year-old. 

“The man is alleged to have also been involved in two other burglaries in the Dunedin area in the early hours of the morning of Sunday, 12 January,” a police spokesman said. 

A $10,000 reward had been offered by the head of flight operator Helicopters Otago for any information leading to the man’s arrest. Police have not commented on the reward today. 

The helicopter was at Taieri airfield in Otago when it was targeted on the weekend, acting area investigations manager Detective Sergeant Hayden Smale said. 

If air crews did not know of the theft and had been dispatched to an emergency incident “there could have been fatal consequences”, chief executive of Helicopters Otago Graheme Gale said. 

Smale said: “Beyond putting the lives of air ambulance patients at risk by taking these essential medical supplies, some of the drugs stolen pose a significant risk to anyone who may choose to take them recreationally. 

“The wrong combination or dosage could potentially be fatal, and we urge extreme caution for anyone who may come into contact with these stolen medical supplies. 

Gale said the helicopter had just come from an incident in Queenstown where a critically ill person was flown to Dunedin Hospital. 

“The helicopter and crew were forced to hold over at the base in North Taieri due to bad weather. 

“If the helicopter and crew had responded to an incident unaware that the bag had been taken, there could have been fatal consequences.” 

The 31-year-old accused was due to appear in the Dunedin District Court today charged with three charges of burglary and two of unlawfully taking a motor vehicle. 

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.