Police have released pictures of the seized drugs
(Picture: NZ Police)New Zealand police have seized more than half a ton of methamphetamine at the border and arrested six people in the nation’s biggest-ever drug bust.
Police said they intercepted the shipment of 613 kilograms of meth at Auckland Airport on Thursday and began making arrests on Tuesday night.
Those arrested are all from Auckland and aged between 27 and 36. They face charges of importing and supplying meth, as well as money laundering.
Police said some of those arrested have links to an Australia-based gang, the Comanchero Motorcycle Club. They said the drugs had a street value of 245 million New Zealand dollars (£125m).
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the drugs could have caused immense harm to the vulnerable communities the criminals were targeting.
Police said their investigation was continuing and that they might make more arrests. They didn’t immediately say where the drugs had been shipped from.
New Zealand’s previous largest drug bust was in 2016, when 501kg of methamphetamine was seized in Northland, including 449kg from a camper van and 52kg found buried at Ninety Mile Beach, according to stuff.co.nz.
Commissioner Coster said latest bust was a “significant result” by the National Organised Crime Group to combat community hard caused by meth.
“Had this shipment been distributed across New Zealand it would have caused immense harm to the vulnerable communities these criminal groups were preying upon.”
