Three foreigners in Christchurch have been charged with smuggling 5kg of MDMA, estimated to be worth $2.1 million, Customs says.
A large amount of MDMA was found hidden in suitcases at Christchurch Airport, Customs said. Photo: Supplied / NZ Customs
Spokesman Joe Cannon said two men and a woman aged in their 30s appeared today in the Christchurch District Court.
Mr Cannon said the trio had arrived on a flight from Europe via Singapore, when they were stopped and questioned by customs officers at Christchurch Airport.
He said X-rays of their luggage showed up inconsistencies and, on further inspection, officers found packages hidden inside the lining of one of the cases.
This was Customs' fourth arrest within a week, after a Brazilian woman was stopped at Auckland Airport last Sunday with 4.6kg of cocaine in her luggage.
MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is also commonly known as ecstasy.