A 19-year-old Canadian appeared in a New Zealand district court on December 1 after Customs officers found an estimated 15.17 kilograms of methamphetamine in his luggage at Auckland International Airport on Sunday, November 30, according to a New Zealand Customs Service press release.
The Canadian is charged with the importation of a Class A Controlled drug.
The individual was identified as a ‘risk passenger’ through Customs’ standard pre-arrival screening. Frontline officers then questioned the man upon his arrival from Vancouver, Canada, and he was further referred for a baggage check.
An examination of his suitcase located approximately 15 vacuum-sealed packages hidden amongst clothing. The crystal-like substance inside tested positive for methamphetamine, with a potential retail value of approximately NZ$4.55 million [about $3.6 million Canadian].
Acting Customs Manager Auckland Airport Ben Wells said: “Customs uses several tools including intelligence and passenger targeting through data and the use of sophisticated technology to identify high-risk passengers such as this individual. Further questioning and a search by frontline officers at the airport clearly indicated that something was not right.”
Last year in December, New Zealand Customs Service arrested a 29-year-old Canadian passenger with gift-wrapped methamphetamine inside her carry-on duffle bag at Auckland International Airport. The woman arrived in Auckland on a flight from Vancouver in Canada and was questioned by Customs officers on arrival.
A baggage search found her with an estimated 10.2 kilograms of methamphetamine wrapped as a Christmas present. This amount of the drug would have been worth up to NZ$3.8million in street value, the authorities said.
