Customs has seized 47kg of methamphetamine worth up to $16.45m at Auckland Airport after it was discovered in boxes sent from Malaysia earlier this month.
Four unaccompanied boxes arrived from Kuala Lumpur in mid-August and were detained by Customs for further inspection following routine enforcement activity.
The yellow boxes were declared as “paper ream” and marked as “IK Yellow”, but officers found black duffel bags inside each box instead.
Forty-six food packages labelled “Prince Durian” were located in the bags, which were found to conceal around 47 kilograms of methamphetamine.
The seized amount would have been worth up to $16.45m on the street and caused up to $52.1m in social harm and cost to New Zealand, Customs manager at Auckland Airport Paul Williams said.
Auckland Airport Customs manager Paul Williams said no arrests had been made but investigations were ongoing.
“This seizure has the hallmarks of what is referred to as a ‘rip-on and rip off’ scenario, a common trend at border checkpoints internationally, which we’re increasingly seeing here in New Zealand.”
This tactic relies on criminals exploiting insiders working at the border.
Williams said Customs works closely with partner agencies and industry colleagues to educate them on what to look for.
“Our message to those being exploited by transnational organised crime groups is simple. These money-greedy criminals don’t care about you or your families – they’ll treat you like scum and you’ll end up bearing the brunt of the law.”