New Zealand / Crime

69kg of drugs seized at Auckland Airport

19:11 pm on 30 May 2025

Customs officers at Auckland Airport seized nearly 70 kgs of drugs in two separate incidents. Photo: Supplied/ NZ Customs

Drugs with an estimated street value of nearly $26 million have been seized in two separate incidents at Auckland Airport.

Customs say in the first case, officers found 50kg of methamphetamine inside two unaccompanied duffel bags, which arrived on a flight from Malaysia.

And the bag of a passenger arriving from New York contained nearly 18kg of methamphetamine and 1kg of cocaine.

A 22-year-old man faces drugs charges in relation to the bag from New York.

"Both these seizures were the result of the excellent skills of our frontline officers who recognised tell-tale signs that prompted further investigations and turned up these significant quantities of illegal drugs," said Customs' Acting Manager Auckland Airport Donnelle Nicholson.

Nicholson said officers had stopped about half a tonne of illicit drugs from entering New Zealand so far this year, which was significant and concerning.

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