NEW ZEALAND: A woman from New Zealand was caught with an estimated 18.45 kilograms of methamphetamine when she arrived at the Auckland International Airport from Singapore on Jan 4.
The New Zealand Customs Service said in a statement that customs officers made the discovery when the woman was referred to Customs for further questioning, and her luggage, which had been checked in, was searched.
The methamphetamine found in her luggage can produce as many as 922,500 doses of the drug, and has a potential street value of NZ$5.53 million (S$4 million), the customs service added.
The woman, who is 33 years old, unemployed, and with no permanent address, is now facing smuggling charges. She arrived in Auckland aboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ285.
Customs officers found 18 individually vacuum-sealed packages that had a white crystalline substance inside. When testing was carried out, it was confirmed that the substance was methamphetamine, which is a Class A narcotic in New Zealand.
On Jan 5, the woman appeared at the Manukau District Court on one charge of drug importation. She will remain in detention until April, when her case is reviewed. If she is found guilty of the charge against her, she could spend the rest of her life in jail.
Paul Williams, the Customs Auckland Airport Manager, warned all travelers, saying, “If you try to smuggle drugs into New Zealand, you might not just land here—you could land in prison.”
He said that Christmas and New Year are among the busiest times for Auckland International Airport, adding, “Our message to anyone considering carrying prohibited items is clear: regardless of whether you know what’s in your bag, if it contains illegal drugs, you will face arrest.
Customs remains committed to reducing the harm caused by illicit drugs in our communities. No financial gain is worth the serious consequences, which can include life imprisonment.”
It is by no means the first time anyone has tried to smuggle drugs into New Zealand, and there have been heavy penalties for those found guilty.
In 2023, a 23-year-old Brazilian national, Benhur Martin, received a six-year jail sentence after he tried to smuggle two kilograms of cocaine in the lining of his suitcase. In the same year, another Brazilian national, 29-year-old Mislene Dos Santos, was sentenced to four years’ jail after customs officers found nearly three kilograms of cocaine in the walls of her luggage.
A few months later, a 44-year-old woman from the United States was discovered attempting to smuggle about 6.7 kilograms of methamphetamine. She had wrapped the narcotics as Christmas gifts that she packed in her suitcase. /TISG
Read also: M’sian man arrested at Woodlands for attempting to smuggle 1.7 kg of ‘ice,’ 3.3 kg cannabis
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