Ramraiders hit Christchurch liquor store while burglars target dairy for ‘alcohol and cigarettes’

Wednesday, 22 July 2026

A white Toyota Corolla was used in a ramraid at Gopals Dairy in Hornby on Wednesday morning.

The metal bars of a Christchurch dairy were no match for ramraiders who crashed a car through the store front, apparently on the hunt for cigarettes.

The ramraid was one of two burglaries of businesses in the city overnight, and police are yet to find the culprits.

Police were called to Gopals Dairy on the corner of Main South and Garvins roads in Hornby at about 2.50am on Wednesday.

The front of Gopals Dairy was destroyed in the ramraid.

A white Toyota Corolla was used to reverse through the shop front, smashing the metal shutters to smithereens and leaving broken glass across the footpath and in the store.

Goods from the shop were also left over the floor, and the cigarette cabinet was open with missing packets.

“At this stage it is unknown what exactly was taken, however it is believed the group have targeted cigarettes,” said Senior Sergeant Hamish Keer-Keer.

A contractor pulls mangled metal from the storefront of Gopals Dairy.

“The offenders have left the area in a second vehicle, which was later located abandoned in the Riccarton area.”

At about 9am contractors were working to cover up the damage left behind after the ramraid.

A broken door was left propped up against a wall at the front of the building.

Cones were placed throughout the store as shards of glass were swept away and the mangled metal bars were peeled away from the shattered windows.

A glass door was left propped up against an outside wall, and window panes at the top of the entrance were also left smashed.

Police were alerted to another burglary 30 minutes before Gopals Dairy was targeted overnight.

Police are now searching for those responsible and have asked the public for help.

Super Liquor Edgeware on Edgeware Rd in St Albans after its alarms were activated at about 2.20am.

Thieves broke into the business “using tools”, Keer-Keer said.

Those tools appeared to have included a grinder, a police spokesperson said, but that failed and the burglars kicked in the window.

“The group have targeted alcohol and cigarettes before leaving the area in vehicle,” Keer-Keer said.

He urged anyone with information about the incidents to contact police online at 105.police.govt.nz or call 105, using the reference number 260722/4338.

Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers online or through 0800 555 111.