A total of 24 people have been charged as a result of a six-month joint investigation by the NZ Police’s National Organised Crime Group and NZ Customs investigating vulnerabilities at the New Zealand border.

Operation Selena started in June this year covering multiple phases involving drug smuggling into New Zealand’s borders from Tonga, Malaysia and the USA.

In August, five people were arrested there, after a container sent from Tonga was found to contain 30kgs of methamphetamine, packed and disguised as taro and cassava, seized at the Auckland Port.

Two of those charged were individuals who allegedly either worked at or transported containers from the Port of Auckland.

Two King Cobra gang members and a gang associate were also charged. Two firearms were also seized during search warrants along with $20,000 in cash.

Arrests

New Zealand Police said, the ongoing investigation into alleged drug smuggling offending at the New Zealand border concluded on December 8, with a further 14 people arrested and charged, with millions of dollars’ worth of assets including houses, vehicles and bank accounts also seized.

The 14 have been charged with importing, conspiring to import and possessing to supply methamphetamine. They are all due to appear in the Auckland District Court.

Millions of dollars in assets have been seized including two Auckland properties, five vehicles including a 2019 Ford Raptor valued at more than $60,000, and a Harley Davidson. Bank accounts totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars have also been restrained.

While, thousands of dollars in cash and small quantities of methamphetamine have also been recovered today.

Baggage handlers

Last month, Police and Customs announced the arrests of 14 people, including six baggage handlers, in relation to a criminal syndicate headed by King Cobra members allegedly smuggling or conspiring to smuggle close to 500kgs of methamphetamine into Auckland Airport from Malaysia.

The group were allegedly involved in the failed smuggling attempt of 200kgs of methamphetamine that was intercepted at the Malaysian border in October 2021.

Nineteen search warrants were carried out today in Auckland in relation to further alleged drug smuggling between Los Angeles Airport and Auckland Airport, which also involved the use of baggage handlers.

Fourteen people have been charged in Auckland in relation to this criminal syndicate, which allegedly involved unchecked items being placed on aircraft flying out of LAX and into Auckland Airport.

Police will allege that unchecked items were placed in the cargo holds of aircraft flying to Auckland before being removed from the aircraft where the alleged offenders would bypass security and take the drugs out of the airport.

Six of those charged are or have been, baggage handlers working for Air New Zealand. Additionally to the six charged, three King Cobra gang members and two associates have also been charged in relation to this offending.

This syndicate are believed to have been smuggling drugs from LA since the start of this year and have allegedly conspired to import more than 100kgs of methamphetamine. This would have caused nearly $124m worth of social harm in New Zealand.

45kgs of meth has been seized by Police and Customs in relation to this alleged criminal syndicate along with three firearms.

Operation Selena

Operation Selena also found alleged links between a number of these drug syndicates, with some people charged today, having previously been charged in relation to previous drug syndicates.

Detective Inspector Paul Newman said these drug smuggling syndicates once again show that gangs continue to be at the centre of this type of offending with absolutely no care or regard for the destruction it causes within our communities.

“This type of offending is highly concerning not only because of the harm the drugs cause when they enter our communities, but because the ability to place unchecked items onto aircraft threatens the integrity and security of air travel."

These issues are not unique to New Zealand. We are working with our offshore partners and sharing information with the aim to assist them in tightening security and making it harder for these criminal syndicates to operate at overseas borders, he said.

The 14 arrested have been charged with importing, conspiring to import and possessing to supply methamphetamine.

Tonga

Meanwhile, a 45-year-old man from Nukuhetulu was arrested on September 9 and charged with the exportation of 30 kilograms of methamphetamine from Tonga to New Zealand