Wellington  - At least 14 members of New Zealand's Tribesmen motorcycle gang were arrested Wednesday in a major crackdown on the production and sale of methamphetamine, police said.

They will face 160 charges following coordinated raids on gang premises in Northland province and Auckland by the newly-established Organised and Financial Crime Agency, which was set up to counter the rapidly growing illegal drug industry.

Police have identified methamphetamine, known in New Zealand as "ice" or "P", as the country's number one drug problem, responsible for a spate of violent crimes and murders.

Authorities say the production of methamphetamine has risen in New Zealand at a faster rate than in other countries because it is easy to manufacture in homes and is cheaper than heroin and cocaine.

The government is moving to restrict the sale of cold and influenza tablets containing pseudo-ephedrine, the main ingredient in the production of methamphetamine, and set up a new customs anti-drug task force to crack down on illegal imports of the medicines, mainly from China.

"I am determined that we will use the full force of the government's arsenal to fight the problem of P, a seriously addictive drug that is ruining lives," Prime Minister John Key said this month.

"P hurts not just users and their families but also law-abiding New Zealanders who suffer from the crime it creates," he said. (dpa)