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| | | Customs arrests Auckland businessman after two million cigarettes smuggled into country | | | A 41-year-old Auckland businessman appeared in the North Shore District Court last Friday 1 November 2024 in relation to the smuggling of approximately two million cigarettes inside shipping containers.
The illicit tobacco was seized by Customs following information from overseas border partners about two sea freight containers suspected to contain undeclared cigarettes destined for the Port of Auckland.
The two million cigarettes equate to approximately NZ$3 million in revenue evasion. | | | | | | | | | | 
| | | Customs catches alleged drug courier with 14 kilograms of methamphetamine | | | A 27-year-old woman is facing drugs smuggling charges after Customs officers at Auckland Airport discovered approximately 14 kilograms of methamphetamine in her luggage last week.
The woman arrived in Auckland on a flight from Vancouver via Sydney on 30 October 2024 and was referred to Customs for further questioning. Customs officers conducted a search of her baggage and found two sealed packages with crystal substances wrapped inside two towels, which border testing indicated was methamphetamine.
The woman, who was travelling on a Canadian passport, is charged with importing a Class A controlled drug and possession for supply of a Class A controlled drug. She has been remanded in custody to appear in Court again on 16 January 2025. | | | | | | | | | | 
| | | Excise entries November 2024 | | | We would like to remind excise clients that the due date for payment of Excise entries lodged for the November 2024 Excise period (the removals of alcohol products in November 2024), is Tuesday 24 December 2024.
This is the last working day of the month this year, as set out in the Legislation Act 2019. Customs will be consulting with industry and looking at amending Customs regulations to see if we can prevent this situation occurring again in 2025.
How will this affect me?
It means your payment is due one week earlier than it usually is at this time of year. It is important to pay by the due date to avoid late payment penalties and compensatory interest being changed. If you are unable to make the payment on 24 December 2024, please email revenue@customs.govt.nz and we will contact you for further information. | | | | | | | | | 
| | | Philippines joins Carnet system | | | The Philippines Government has joined the international ATA Carnet system.
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, alongside the Bureau of Customs have launched the programme to allow the temporary importation of certain goods into the Philippines without the need to pay Customs duties.
It also opens a streamlined process for Philippine travellers and visitors to temporarily import their goods to New Zealand for exhibitions or other events. | | | | | | | | | | 
| | | Reminder: Alcohol Excise Duty Estimator now available | | | Customs has launched an Alcohol Excise Duty Estimator on the Customs website. This innovative online tool is a one-stop shop for alcohol excise clients to estimate the excise duty, alcohol levy, and GST applicable to alcohol products manufactured in New Zealand for the New Zealand market.
The Excise Estimator features a simple user interface and is easy to use. Users can input the volume and strength of alcohol products to obtain an accurate estimation of duty and alcohol levy as well as relevant information from the Excise and Equivalent Duty Tables.
More information can be found on the Customs website. | | | | | | | | |