Wellington, Jun. 15, (dpa/GNA) – An multi-million dollar international scheme to import methamphetamine hidden in maple syrup has been upended by New Zealand, Australian and Canadian authorities.
A shipment of maple syrup from Canada to New Zealand was intercepted in January, New Zealand police revealed on Thursday.
Some 713 kilograms of methamphetamine were found, the largest interception of methamphetamine in New Zealand, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said.
It was part of a wider shipment of methamphetamine bound for the Australasian market, he said.
“The international drug trade and organised crime groups are creating havoc and harm in communities around the globe, and our best opportunity to disrupt, intercept, and keep our communities safe, is to work collaboratively with other agencies, and other nations,” Coster said.
“This seizure of nearly three quarters of a tonne shows the effectiveness of working across borders.”
Police estimate the drugs would have caused close to $800 million NZ ($486 million US) worth of social harm, according to drug harm index figures.
Six men were arrested in New Zealand and would appear in court in Auckland in relation to the incident.
In Australia, a shipment from Canada destined for Melbourne that contained 18 pallets of canola oil was found to contain 3 tonnes of methamphetamine.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) Assistant Commissioner Hilda Sirec said the drug seizures and arrests highlighted the damage that law enforcement agencies could inflict on transnational drug trafficking networks by working together across borders.
“We are using our combined reach to disrupt drug supply chains and hold criminals to account, no matter where they are in the world.”
GNA