NZ Customs Release

Issue

779

7 March 2025

Customs seizes 36 kilograms of methamphetamine in unaccompanied luggage

Customs officers at Auckland International Airport have seized more than 36 kilograms of methamphetamine found in unaccompanied bags.

The two bags arrived on Wednesday 5 March on a flight from LAX and were referred to Customs for further inspection.

A search of both bags identified a number of plastic-wrapped, vacuum-sealed parcels. Testing of the substance within those parcels returned positive for methamphetamine.  

Traveller jailed for smuggling methamphetamine through Auckland Airport

Last Friday (28 February), a 59-year-old man was jailed for seven years and ten months for smuggling approximately six kilograms of methamphetamine through Auckland Airport.

He was charged with importation and possession for supply of controlled drugs after Customs officers found methamphetamine concealed in the lining of a cardboard box he was carrying in, February 2024.
 
Customs Auckland Airport Manager Paul Williams said "This case highlights the vital role of Customs Officers in preventing drugs from reaching our communities, and the sentence serves as a clear warning to anyone considering becoming a drug courier. Removing this amount of methamphetamine from the market may have prevented up to NZ$6.65 million worth of social harm to New Zealanders."

Think before you share campaign

Customs is just one New Zealand agency which is tackling the scourge of online child sexual abuse. Our role is to disrupt and stop child sexual abuse material being shared across the cyber and physical border. 

Our colleagues at the Department of Internal Affairs are supporting the Internet Watch Foundation's #ThinkBeforeYouShare campaign, which has been running this week. This aims to help open a dialogue between parents and teens amid warnings the sharing and soliciting of nudes is becoming 'normalised' among young people. 

It can be hard knowing how to deal with everything that happens online. You can find resources and information about sextortion at www.keepitrealonline.govt.nz.

Submissions now open on The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill

The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill is now open for public submissions to Parliament's Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee until 10 March 2025 (NZ time).
 
This proposed omnibus legislation is to improve collection of revenue on goods making collection fairer and more effective. 
 
The primary aim of this bill is to introduce a levy regime to recover costs for Customs' goods management activities. This bill will enable levies or fees to be made depending on which is the more appropriate. It does not change or increase rates on existing charges. 
 
The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill is available to read on Parliament's website where you can make and view submissions and track its progress through the parliamentary process.

MFAT Market Intelligence Reports

The latest edition of the weekly global trade and economic update for New Zealand businesses has been published.