Man arrested, nearly 26kg in meth seized at Auckland Airport

A Canadian man has been arrested and nearly 26 kilograms of methamphetamine has been seized at the border at Auckland Airport over the weekend.

The 36-year-old had travelled from Montreal, via Vancouver to Sydney, and then on to Auckland when he was questioned by Customs officers on Saturday.

The record seizure was made when methamphetamine totalling just over 25.8kg was found hidden in the lining of both of his suitcases, the New Zealand Customs Service said today.

The man has been remanded in custody and is due to reappear in court in February next year on two charges of importing methamphetamine and one charge of possession methamphetamine for supply.

The methamphetamine could have produced nearly 1.3 million individual doses and caused up to $28.5 million in social harm to communities, Customs said.

The haul — with a street value of $9 million on New Zealand streets — is believed to be the largest quantity of drugs found by Customs in a passenger's luggage, Auckland Airport Customs manager Paul Williams said. The previous record was 19kg of methamphetamine seized in May 2020.

"This is a brazen smuggling attempt by a drug courier who appears to be working for an organised crime group. Customs is pleased this seizure has stopped these drugs and cut off the profits criminal groups had aim to make by exploiting our communities," Williams said.

"Our message to drug couriers and others who work for these gangs is simple — don't do it, it's not worth the risk. The criminals you work for don't care what happens to you or the consequences for your families when you are caught."