Version as at
6 November 2021
Crimes Act 1961
Part 5 s 98A
Participation in organised criminal group
Heading: inserted, on 1 January 1998, by section 2 of the Crimes Amendment Act (No 2) 1997 (1997
No 93).
Section 98A: amended, on 18 June 2002, pursuant to section 5 of the Crimes Amendment Act 2002
(2002 No 20).
98A Participation in organised criminal group
(1)
(2)
(3)
Every person commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for a term not
exceeding 10 years who participates in an organised criminal group—
(a)
knowing that 3 or more people share any 1 or more of the objectives (the
particular objective or particular objectives) described in paragraphs
(a) to (d) of subsection (2) (whether or not the person himself or herself
shares the particular objective or particular objectives); and
(b)
either knowing that his or her conduct contributes, or being reckless as
to whether his or her conduct may contribute, to the occurrence of any
criminal activity; and
(c)
either knowing that the criminal activity contributes, or being reckless as
to whether the criminal activity may contribute, to achieving the particu‐
lar objective or particular objectives of the organised criminal group.
For the purposes of this Act, a group is an organised criminal group if it is a
group of 3 or more people who have as their objective or one of their object‐
ives—
(a)
obtaining material benefits from the commission of offences that are
punishable by imprisonment for a term of 4 years or more; or
(b)
obtaining material benefits from conduct outside New Zealand that, if it
occurred in New Zealand, would constitute the commission of offences
that are punishable by imprisonment for a term of 4 years or more; or
(c)
the commission of serious violent offences; or
(d)
conduct outside New Zealand that, if it occurred in New Zealand, would
constitute the commission of serious violent offences.
A group of people is capable of being an organised criminal group for the pur‐
poses of this Act whether or not—
(a)
some of them are subordinates or employees of others; or
(b)
only some of the people involved in it at a particular time are involved in
the planning, arrangement, or execution at that time of any particular
action, activity, or transaction; or
(c)
its membership changes from time to time.
Section 98A: replaced, on 18 June 2002, by section 5 of the Crimes Amendment Act 2002 (2002
No 20).
Section 98A(1): replaced, on 1 December 2009, by section 5(1) of the Crimes Amendment Act 2009
(2009 No 47).
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