A Canadian woman has been arrested after trying to smuggle more than 20 pounds of methamphetamine through an airport in New Zealand, authorities said. The illegal drugs were disguised as Christmas presents, New Zealand the customs agency said earlier this week on social media.
The Canadian woman, who has not been publicly identified, arrived in Auckland on a flight from Vancouver, Canada, on Sunday, December 8. Customs officials questioned the woman after she disembarked, the customs agency said. Deputies then searched her carry-on duffel bag and found the drugs, wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper.
The drugs would have been worth up to NZ$3.8 million, or $2.2 million USD, the customs agency he said in a press release.
New Zealand Customs Service
The woman was arrested and charged with drug importation and possession, officials said. New Zealand public broadcaster RNZ reported that the woman appeared in the Manukau District Court on Tuesday and was remanded in custody.
Auckland Airport Manager Paul Williams said international organized crime groups often try to take advantage of the busy travel season to bring illegal goods into the country.
“But a busy airport does not mean that Customs is not targeting or paying attention to anyone who may be a drug risk,” Williams said in the press release. Williams said that All travelers arriving in New Zealand are risk assessed even before they arrive in the country.
Williams said in the press release that he and his colleagues are “aware that drugs sent from North America are a growing threat” and are prepared to detect such shipments and to capture, even if they are “smaller targets. ”
New Zealand Customs Service
A A man from Los Angeles travels to New Zealand was arrested in late November after security officers at Los Angeles International Airport found clothing covered in methamphetamine in his luggage. In total, about a kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, of meth was recovered from the clothing.
The same week, the international navel operation “Orion” as a result of the arrest of more than 1,400 tons of drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, on the Pacific human trafficking route from South America to Australia.
The US authorities stopped him an alleged international drug trafficking ring that was smuggling methamphetamine to foreign countries, including Australia and New Zealand, in February. These drugs were reportedly smuggled in several containers, including books and baby dolls.
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