Drugs weighing 52 kgs and worth NZ$19.7 million seized at Auckland airport

New Zealand customs busted two major attempts to smuggle in contraband drugs worth almost NZ$19.7 million in street value into the country in the last two days (April 12-13). In the first case, customs officers posted at Auckland International Airport seized nearly 50 kilograms of methamphetamine while the second incident involved recovery of two kgs of cocaine.

According to a press release by New Zealand customs service, the officers intercepted two unaccompanied bags on a flight from San Francisco, USA, which had 50 kgs of methamphetamine. No one has been detained following the seizure.

Customs officers were carrying out routine checking of the bags on the flight when they came across the two bags. The drugs were recovered after the officers opened the unaccompanied bags to check their contents.


“In the second intercept, 2 kilograms of cocaine was found concealed in the lining of a passenger’s suitcases. The 24-year-old foreign national arrived in Auckland on a flight from Santiago, Chile. After investigations by Customs officers, he was charged with the importation and possession for supply of a Class A Controlled drug,” the press release read.

While the estimated value of the drugs is nearly NZ$19.7 million, officers state that the snuggling bid and the operation to bust it cost and caused the country around NZ$54 million in potential harm.

The twin seizures come a few days after 25 kilograms of drugs were recovered on April 8, stated Acting Customs Auckland Airport Manager Ben Wells. A total of 78 kgs of drugs have been seized at Auckland airport in less than a week.

"This demonstrates the need for constant vigilance, information-sharing, and networking across the aviation sector. It’s a combined effort to keep illicit drugs out of New Zealand communities and stop criminals from cultivating user demand," added Ben Wells.