Police have arrested three more people in relation to a 17-month police investigation into alleged race-fixing within the harness racing industry.
The trio of men, aged 30, 42 and 49, appeared in the Christchurch District Court on Wednesday afternoon on multiple drug-related charges.
The 30-year-old is also facing a charge of unlawful possession of a restricted weapon.
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In total, 10 people have been charged in relation to Operation Inca - the police investigation into alleged corruption within the harness racing industry.
The arrests were a result of six further search warrants conducted in Christchurch, taking the total number of search warrants to 17.
On Wednesday, a 26-year-old male appeared in court facing charges of deception by match-fixing and possessing and supplying a Class B drug. He has been remanded on bail to appear next Tuesday.
Five other men are expected to appear in court next week facing match-fixing charges, along with a 41-year-old woman who faces two counts of supplying Class B drugs.
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Harness New Zealand editor Garrick Knight told RadioLIVE he believes there are a number of races that have been fixed.
"The names involved are very much at the top of the tree," he told RadioLIVE. "These are heroes of some people, these are industry heavyweights."
Police raided 11 harness racing stables and dwellings across the country on Tuesday.
Search warrants were executed on nine properties in Christchurch, and one each in Manawatu and Invercargill, as a result of the long-running probe into alleged corruption within the industry.
The investigation was sparked by the Racing Integrity Unit (RIU), which tipped off police with information of the alleged illegal activity.
The RIU has also closed on those charged in relation to the alleged race-fixing, barring them from attending race meetings, workouts and trials while investigations continue.
Anyone with relevant information towards this investigation are urged to contact police on harness@police.govt.nz, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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