LAGOS: Four Nigerian nationals and a New Zealander have received long jail terms for their roles in an international drug smuggling ring, the New Zealand Police said, Punch reports.
The Nigerians were jailed for terms of 15 to 18 years after being found guilty of importing and possessing methamphetamine for supply, and the New Zealander was jailed for nine years for possession of methamphetamine for supply.
The sentences handed down at the Auckland High Court marked a successful end to a combined police and customs operation that began in November 2013, said a police statement.
Operation Gatsby was launched after Customs officers discovered methamphetamine with a street value of 1.5 million NZ dollars (1.04 million U.S. dollars) in the luggage of an Auckland man who had just returned from Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.
Detective Senior Sergeant Lloyd Schmid said officers determined that the man had been duped and used as a drug mule by an international syndicate and launched an operation to track the destination of the methamphetamine.
