Two young Auckland men have been arrested and charged with the murder of Lee Ross McMurdo, who was found dead in his Helensville in July last year.

The unemployed west Auckland men, both in their early 20s, are due to appear in North Shore District Court on Monday.

Police earlier said they believed 32-year-old Mr McMurdo was dealing in the drug MDVP, known as bath salts, at the time of his death.

"MDVP is a stimulant and relatively new to New Zealand, but is widely known in some Scandinavian countries and parts of the United States," Detective Inspector Greg Cramer, who heads the investigation, said.