Customs has found methamphetamine originating from Iran in a container filled with pails of grease.
Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook
Police said the concealment method suggested a commercial quantity of the drug was involved.
Customs seized the shipment of methamphetamine on 10 May at the Port of Tauranga.
In a statement, National Organised Crime Group Detective Senior Sergeant Reece Sirl said methamphetamine devastates many vulnerable communities while organised criminal groups continue to profit off this type of offending.
"This seizure at the border is another demonstration of the Police and Customs working together to disrupt and dismantle organised crime networks and to make New Zealand more resilient to transnational organised crime," he said.
Three Auckland men aged between 21 and 42 were arrested yesterday and charged with importing it; the 21-year-old man has also been charged with threatening to kill.
They are appearing in the Auckland District Court today.