Authorities thwarted a drug trafficking scheme where smugglers tried to use bottles of maple syrup to ship methamphetamine from Canada to Australia and New Zealand.
Officials intercepted the “maple syrup” shipment in January, which contained about 1,572 pounds of meth worth about $250 million, officials said in a news release.
Calling the bust “Operation Regis,” New Zealand police said investigators in New Zealand, Australia and Canada worked together on the case.
The meth was part of a larger shipment headed to the Australasian market – Australia, New Zealand and some islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Authorities said that in February, five men were arrested at a rural property near Helensville, New Zealand, after they took possession of the majority of the drugs.
A sixth man was taken into custody when he tried to take the rest of the drugs, officials said.
New Zealand Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the bust is the largest meth interception the country has seen at its border. It’s not the only recent bust in the area though.
In March last year, customs seized 1,351 pounds of methamphetamine at Auckland Airport. That same month, customs seized more than 1,543 pounds of cocaine.
And this year, officials recovered 7,381 pounds of cocaine in February from the Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand and about 183 pounds of methamphetamine.
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Drug distribution could’ve been costly, commissioner says
“Had this shipment been distributed across New Zealand it would have caused immense harm to the vulnerable communities these criminal groups were preying upon,” Coster, the New Zealand Police Commissioner, said in a statement.
According to authorities, close to $800 million worth of social harm could’ve been caused had the drugs reached their destination.
“We know that drugs are a major driver of crime in New Zealand, and we see first-hand how damaging the impact of addiction in our communities is,” said Coster.
New Zealand Customs Comptroller Christine Stevenson said customs has seen quite the uptick in organized crime groups and large-scale drug smuggling attempts.
“This seizure, along with other large seizures over the past 12 months, shows that New Zealand Customs and our partners remain ready and able to intercept a significant proportion of the drugs these criminal groups try to smuggle here,” she said.
