Twelve people have been arrested and $4 million in assets have been seized after police dismantled an alleged drug smuggling syndicate that was importing drugs through the international postal system.
Further arrests have been made on the United States side of the smuggling operation, NZ Police said.
The syndicate – largely based in south-east Auckland – was disrupted this week after police carried out 17 searches across the city, Detective Inspector Tom Gollan said.
Police seized $500,000 in cash and “a concoction of illicit substances” – including 2kg of cocaine, 350g of methamphetamine, and 4kg of ephedrine.
Police have also restrained assets belonging to the group, including two houses and three vehicles.
“In the process, approximately $4 million in assets have also been restrained under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act,” Gollan said.
Police and the New Zealand Customs Service pieced together the alleged syndicate’s “‘scattergun’ method” over two years under an investigation dubbed Operation Havana.
Gollan said customs had intercepted “numerous packages” destined for Auckland addresses, predominately in the Flat Bush area” since 2022.
The consignments varied in size and concealment method but typically weighed between 1kg and 10kg.
“These characteristics, in particular the large number of consignments imported, were hallmarks of what is known as the ‘scattergun’ method of drug smuggling,” Gollan said.
He said customs seized a “significant quantity of illegal drugs” in New Zealand, and worked alongside law enforcement counterparts – including Homeland Security, the FBI, and the DEA – to seize drugs in the US.
Among the seizures were 183.5kg of methamphetamine, 29 litres of liquid methamphetamine, 35.8kg of pseudoephedrine and 16.7kg of MDMA.
The social harm of the seized crystalised methamphetamine would have been more than $200 million alone, Gollan said.
He said sharing information with law enforcement counterparts in Los Angeles has also “enabled numerous arrests and the seizure of significant amounts of drugs on the US side of the illegal operations”.
“The Havana investigation exposed a syndicate that exploited the mail system to import their drugs over an extended period of time, and the arrests and significant seizures will put a significant dent in the supply of drugs by that group both here and in the USA.
“It again highlights the international flavour to our domestic illicit drug suppliers, and the value of our international partnerships to assist in combating trans-national organised crime.”
Nine men aged between 34 and 54 and three women – aged 36, 37, and 38 – have appeared in the Auckland District Court on “serious charges”, including importing class A, B and C controlled drugs; conspiracy to import Class A; and participation in an organised criminal group.
Police were not ruling out further arrests, he said.
