A man has been charged after 20kg of methamphetamine was discovered hidden inside vacuum-sealed green tea packets at Auckland International Airport yesterday.
Customs said a 36-year-old foreign national arrived on a flight from Bali and was identified for a baggage search during processing.
“An examination of tea packets inside the bag revealed a white crystalline substance that tested positive for methamphetamine,” a spokesperson said.
Customs estimated the intercept prevented up to $21 million in social harm and the seized drugs had a street value of around $6 million.
The man was charged with the importation of a class A controlled drug and was due to appear in the Manukau District Court this morning.
80kg meth, 4kg cocaine seized this week
Yesterday’s bust was the third interception of illegal drugs at Auckland International Airport in under a week.
Last Friday, more than 60kg of methamphetamine was found in two unaccompanied duffel bags that arrived on a flight from Malaysia.
The bags contained 30kg and 30.3kg of meth respectively, with a combined street value of $22.6 million.
On Monday, a 25-year-old woman was arrested after arriving from Santiago, Chile, with 4 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside the panels of her suitcase.
She faced charges of importing and possessing a class A controlled drug with intent to supply.
The cocaine had an estimated street value of $1.55 million and its seizure was believed to have averted up to $1.49 million in social harm.
