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Four Asian tourists face life in jail after alleged New Zealand drugs bust

Xinhua, May 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

Four Asian tourists are facing life jail terms after being charged with trying to smuggle methamphetamine worth about 12 million NZ dollars (8.77 million U. S. dollars) into New Zealand, Customs authorities said Monday.

The four were allegedly caught with more than 12 kilograms of the illegal drug hidden in their suitcases, when Customs officers stopped them at Auckland International Airport, said a Customs statement.

The two males and two females -- all in their early to mid 20s - - appeared in Auckland's Manukau District Court on Monday each charged with importation and possession of a class A controlled drug.

They were remanded in custody until their next court appearance on an unspecified date.

A Customs spokesperson told Xinhua that she could not specify the nationalities of the four Asians and she could give no further information on the case. Endi