A joint customs and police operation uncovered New Zealand’s second-largest importation of methamphetamine, concealed in steel beams.
Both agencies descended on a rural Waikato property early Friday morning. Two men visiting from Australia were arrested while deconstructing the beams.
Customs earlier located the concealment of 515 kilograms of methamphetamine within the hefty steel beams in early September after being sent from the United States. Customs’ intelligence gathering and associated targeting prompted further investigation of the shipment. The probe uncovered inconsistencies in some of the 42 steel beams.
Customs’ Sea Cargo Inspections Facility officers x-rayed selected items in the consignment and conducted other additional examinations, which led to the discovery of a large amount of methamphetamine.
Under Operation Girder, the police National Organised Crime Group worked alongside Customs to identify the group responsible. Warrants have been executed across Auckland and the Waikato, and police arrested five men between 31 and 51 years old.
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