Customs And Excise Thwarts The Smuggling Of 10 Kilograms Of Methamphetamine Packed As Christmas Gifts From Canada

The methamphetamine, which was packaged as a Christmas gift, was successfully secured by New Zealand Customs and Excise. (New Zealand Customs/Facebook)

JAKARTA - A Canadian woman was arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle methamphetamine-type drugs packaged as Christmas gifts, taking advantage of the year-end holiday season where many people travel across countries.

The woman arrived at Auckland Airport, New Zealand on a flight from Vancouver, Canada last Sunday, when officers seized about 10.2 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine worth up to 2.2 million US dollars (Rp35,271,390,000) found in her travel bag.

The passenger was "just on the list of Santa naughty people," New Zealand Customs said in a Facebook post.

The woman whose name and age were not mentioned was later detained on charges of importing and possessing it to supply Class A illegal drugs.

"This is a classic attempt by transnational organized criminal groups to try to take advantage of the busy travel season," Paul Williams, airport customs manager Auckland, said in a statement.

"However, a busy airport does not mean Customs and Excise does not focus on or pay attention to anyone who may pose a drug risk."

New Zealand Customs and Excise then shared photos of the "Christmas prize" wrapped in bright red paper with pieces of snow and stored in a red backpack that the woman allegedly brought into her plane.

"This criminal group makes mistakes thinking Customs will not pursue smaller targets, but we know drugs sent from North America are an increasing risk and we are ready", Williams added.

Last year, New Zealand discovered about US$150 million worth of methamphetamine hidden in Canada's situation container, the country's largest drug confiscation ever.

Six suspects were arrested in an undercover operation involving officers from New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.

"International drug trade and organized crime groups create chaos and losses in communities around the world, and our best chance of disrupting, intercepting, and keeping our society safe is to work closely with other institutions and other countries," said New Zealand Police Commissioner Andrew Coster.