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Czechs charged after record meth seizure at New Zealand airport

Xinhua, May 13, 2016 Adjust font size:

Customs officials said on Friday that they have seized the largest ever consignment of methamphetamine at a New Zealand airport, with the discovery of about 20 km of the illegal drug.

Two Czech Republic nationals had been arrested and charged with attempting to smuggle the drug, with an estimated street value of 20 million NZ dollars (13.61 million U.S. dollars), through Auckland Airport on Thursday.

Customs officers questioned the pair after they arrived on a flight from Bangkok and a luggage examination revealed the methamphetamine hidden within a concealed area at the bottom of their two suitcases.

Customs and other law enforcement agencies would continue to identify criminal syndicates seeking to bring drugs into New Zealand, Customs group manager intelligence, investigations and enforcement Jamie Bamford said in a statement.

"We have sophisticated capabilities that are continuingly proving to work and deliver successes such as these," said Bamford.

The charges facing the two Czechs carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment under New Zealand law. Endit