WELLINGTON: Three people from Europe have been arrested after $2.1 million worth of MDMA was found in their luggage at Christchurch Airport.
The trio, two men aged 32 and 35, and a woman aged 31, arrived on a flight from Europe via Singapore yesterday, and were stopped and questioned by Customs officers.
X-rays of the luggage identified inconsistencies, and on further examination, several packages were found hidden inside the lining of one of the cases.
Customs officers used their drug analyzer, the First Defender, to test the packages.
A positive result for MDMA, also known as ecstasy, was returned.
The combined weight of the packages was about 5kg, with a street value of up to $2.1 million.
Customs manager for central and southern ports Joe Cannon said the incident was another example of Customs intelligence at work.
“It doesn’t matter which airport, using intelligence and experience, our vigilant frontline officers are alert to smuggling efforts and will stop those identified.
“Criminals often try to ‘hide in plain sight’ but our work is intelligence-led and we do extensive screening to identify those that may pose a threat.”
The three foreign nationals were charged and importing a class-A drug and possession for supply, and appeared at the Christchurch District Court today.
It is Customs’ fourth arrest within a week. Last Sunday a Brazilian woman was stopped at Auckland airport with 4.6kg of cocaine in her luggage.
