Hon Judith Collins
Minister of Police
Hon Maurice Williamson
Minister of Customs

13 November 2009
Media Statement

Police, Customs congratulated on big meth bust

Police Minister Judith Collins and Customs Minister Maurice Williamson today congratulated the Police and Customs Service for the interception of a major shipment of methamphetamine this week.

A joint Police and Customs operation, codenamed Operation Rapid, resulted in the arrest of six people for importing 6kg of the Class A drug methamphetamine. The drug would have had a street value of around $6 million.

Police and Customs believe that with the interception they have disrupted a major methamphetamine importing operation with links to Malaysia.

“I would like to congratulate Police and Customs for their good work. This interception shows the great results that can be achieved when agencies work together on stamping out the drugs trade,” Ms Collins said.

“The effect of these drugs would have been devastating had they made it through the net into our community.”

Mr Williamson said: “This seizure is the result of meticulous intelligence gathering that spanned the world.

“It sends a strong signal to those who try to bring drugs into New Zealand that there is a good chance their drugs will be found and they will be caught.”

Police are conducting further inquiries and have not ruled out the possibility of more arrests.

Over the past year the Government has introduced a raft of new policies aimed at tackling criminal gangs and the methamphetamine trade.

“The message to criminal gangs and those who import methamphetamine should be clear: the government is coming after your business and will use every tool at its disposal to destroy it,” Ms Collins said.

ENDS

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