A man has appeared in court charged with attempting to smuggle an estimated 2kg of methamphetamine through Auckland International Airport concealed inside a portable barbecue grill.
The foreign national had arrived n Auckland on a flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday when he was identified for a baggage search.
“Upon examination of the suitcase, a brown cardboard box was located, revealing a portable electric barbeque grill containing two vacuum-sealed packets of methamphetamine concealed under the grill plate,” Customs New Zealand said.
The methamphetamine had a street value of approximately NZ$600,000 and would have caused around $2 million in social harm and cost to New Zealand, Customs estimated.
The 45-year-old traveller was arrested and appeared in court today charged with the importation and possession for supply of a Class A controlled drug.
Customs Auckland Airport manager Paul Williams said the number of smuggling attempts and volumes being stopped at the airport was “unprecedented”.
“It couldn’t be done without our team taking the necessary time to delve deep, with meticulous attention to detail that unearth finds such as this one.”
Suspicions about drug smuggling could be reported by calling 0800 WE PROTECT (0800 937 768) in confidence, or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
