Customs has arrested five people in just over a week while seizing 51kg of methamphetamine at Auckland Airport.
The drugs have a total street value of approximately $15.2 million.
In the first incident on November 2, three United States nationals aged between 31 and 48 arrived on a flight from Los Angeles.
A baggage search of suitcases belonging to one of the passengers uncovered nearly 30kg of methamphetamine in 11 vacuum-sealed packages, with a street value of $8.9 million.
The trio were arrested for their roles in the smuggling attempt.
A week later, a 69-year-old French national travelling from South Africa was arrested after Customs searched his luggage.
A wooden box disguised as a book titled “Apologize, Forgive, Forget” was found in his backpack.
Inside the box was 2kg of meth, with a street value of $594,300.
The next day, Monday, November 10, a 32-year-old United States national arrived in Auckland on a flight from San Francisco.
Customs officers found 36 vacuum-sealed packages of meth weighing 19kg in their bags, worth $5.7 million on the street.
A vial on a keychain was also found in the passenger’s handbag with around 3g of cocaine worth $1050.
Customs Auckland Airport manager Paul Williams said it’s been a record year for Auckland Airport in drug seizures.
He said frontline Customs officers have seized an estimated 670kg of methamphetamine and cocaine from passengers and unaccompanied luggage.
