Toys just tip of drug iceberg
A children’s toy, mahjong tiles, nail polish, and a puffer jacket were just some of the imaginative objects packed with illegal substances by drug smugglers this year.
More than $245 million worth of methamphetamine was caught by New Zealand customs in the year to June — the highest seizure recorded in a six-month period.
Customs has made 1660 separate drug seizures, including more than 500kg of meth and the ingredients used to make it. A children’s toy truck from the hit animated film Frozen packed with about half a million dollars worth of methamphetamine was one find.
Liquid meth, poured into a wine bottle in an effort to fool customs officers, was another.
A suitcase and a set of mahjong tiles in packaging made almost entirely of illicit drugs were also seized, alongside a children’s scooter, window blinds, a guitar, computer equipment, ornaments and nail polish bottles.
Pillows brimming with ephedrine — a precursor used to make meth — and puffer jackets with powder sewn into the lining have also been stopped from reaching New Zealand streets this year.
“Anything with a void can be manipulated,” Customs cargo operations manager Bruce Berry said.
“The type of concealment we’re seeing is only limited by the imagination.”
Mr Berry said the most memorable find he can remember was the meth precursor pseudoephedrine used as the paste between biscuits.
Officers had seized a huge number of other drugs, particularly synthetics, prescription medication, Ecstasy and Class B or C medication in the past year, he said.
Border operations manager Shane Panettiere said the increase in drugs flooding into the country showed an oversupply, as the user population had remained relatively static.
The shipments were getting larger, with commercial objects used to conceal the drug, such as steam generators or pool filters, he said.
Most of the lower-quantity drugs were seized through mail or air cargo.
Investigations manager Maurice O’Brien said concealing drugs to get through customs was a global issue and there was no real stereotype of a drug smuggler.
In one investigation, his team caught two Malaysian men and a couple — travelling with a 3-month-old baby — at Auckland Airport after arriving from Hong Kong with a collective 2kg of “body packed” meth in their under- wear. Customs Minister Nicky Wagner said intercepting drugs was vital to reducing the harm caused by the global drug trade.
Customs was working closely with the police and international agencies to stop drugs before they were exported, she said.
Meanwhile, three Tauranga women will appear in court today after being charged with possessing 11kg of psychoactive substances for supply.
The haul was discovered in a Tauranga motel on Saturday night.