A 25 year-old man has been charged after nearly $10 million worth of the class B drug ephedrine was found stuffed inside thousands of plastic toys.
The man was arrested in Auckland on Friday, following a joint investigation between NZ Police’s Organised Financial Crime (OFCANZ) and Customs that focussed on targeting the supply of ephedrine in the Auckland region.
Customs identified that a shipment of the drug had been concealed in pallets of plastic toys in a shipping container that had been sent from China.
Ephedrine is used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. The plastic toys were each stuffed with a quantity of the drug, which had the potential to produce more than 60 kilograms of meth, with a street value of up to $60 million.
“This is a huge amount that had the potential to cause serious social harm to our community. Unfortunately though, the demand for ephedrine will remain high and we will continue to target the organised criminal groups supplying and selling ephedrine,” says Detective Inspector Bruce Good, NZ Police.
Customs Group Manager Intelligence, Investigations & Enforcement Jamie Bamford says Customs is focussed on breaking the illicit supply chain, and has several systems in place to target shipments even before they arrive. “We’ll continue to work closely with Police and other agencies to catch the criminals involved.”
The 25-year-old man has been charged with importing a class B controlled drug and will appear in the Auckland District Court today.
Police urge anyone with information on drug dealing in their community to contact them.
Information can also be given anonymously to the organisation Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
ENDS
Beth Bates/NZ Police
