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A joint Police-Customs investigation has unravelled a major transnational organised crime syndicate working with local gangs to import significant quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine into New Zealand, police say.
Operation Matata has identified that the syndicate was allegedly smuggling Class A drugs through unattended baggage on international flights, primarily through Auckland International Airport, police say.
The investigation has had two separate termination phases. The latest, on Wednesday, has seen nine people facing serious criminal and drug charges.
This follows an earlier 18 arrests on June 24 in the first phase, police say.
In total, 15 current and former baggage handlers employed by airline baggage handling agencies at Auckland International Airport were charged.
“During the course of the investigation, Customs, working alongside United States authorities, seized 631 kilograms of methamphetamine and 112 kilograms of cocaine, stopping it from getting into our communities.
“Putting it into perspective, this seizure would have provided nearly every Kiwi roughly six doses of methamphetamine each,” police say.
On July 30, police and Customs investigators executed 19 search warrants across the Auckland region.
“Make no mistake, this investigation has exposed and disrupted a significant threat to New Zealand,” says Detective Inspector Tom Gollan, of the National Organised Crime Group.
“Police will allege the group’s operation involved placing unaccompanied bags on international flights, which were then covertly removed on arrival in Auckland by corrupt baggage handlers to avoid security protocols.”
Since the beginning of this year, police and Customs, working closely with overseas law enforcement partners, have disrupted and intercepted multiple drug shipments bound for this country.
Flights have originated from Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Santiago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York.
Customs’ investigations manager Dominic Adams says New Zealand’s volume of legitimate trade and travel means the risk of criminal infiltration is very real.
“In tandem with the police and our international partners and industry stakeholders, Customs is continuing to protect communities from the organised criminal groups who are attempting to exploit our international supply chains.
“These individuals are abusing their positions of trust to carry out crime, which not only affects New Zealand’s reputation as a safe place to do business but poses a dangerous threat to the wider community by bringing extremely harmful drugs into New Zealand,” says Adams.
“These arrests send a clear message that Customs and our agency and industry partners are tackling this issue head-on, and a potential criminal conviction awaits those who choose to subvert the supply chain for their own gains.”
Gollan says the most recent seizure was 50 kilograms of methamphetamine smuggled aboard a flight from Malaysia on June 18.
“It will be alleged one of the arrested individuals gained unauthorised airside access at Auckland International Airport and was observed piloting a baggage cart towards the aircraft,” he says.
“The man’s attempts were thwarted by a swift and coordinated response from police, Customs and other agencies.”
Wednesday’s search warrants located approximately $150,000 in cash, police say.
“Law enforcement continues to work with airport authorities and other companies to stamp out insider threats, making it difficult for criminal enterprises to operate in that environment,” Gollan says.
“Multiple investigations over the last few years, reaching back to Operation Selena, means we have a very good understanding now of any nefarious activity occurring around the arrival of planes and the deplaning of luggage.
“This knowledge has led to multiple arrests of baggage handlers and those people siting over the top of them as controllers.
“Work done to make the airport more resilient to this criminal behaviour has forced organised crime groups to modify the way they operate, making them more vulnerable to discovery.”
Gollan says this work continues.
“These syndicates operate for profit only, disregarding the misery these drugs would bring to communities across New Zealand.
“This is particularly the case with methamphetamine and these organised crime groups are intent on feeding the addiction of our people in vulnerable communities, of which saw meth consumption double in July last year.”
Operation Matata, by numbers:
- 27 arrests to-date.
- 631kg of methamphetamine seized.
- 31.5 million doses of methamphetamine seized.
- $220.8m – retail value of methamphetamine seized.
- $699.3m – estimated social harm figure.
- 112kg of cocaine seized.
- 1.12m doses of cocaine seized.
- $50.4m – retail value of cocaine seized.
- $33.6m – estimated social harm figure.
