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Australian jailed for New Zealand drug-smuggling attempt

Xinhua, July 15, 2016 Adjust font size:

An Australian man was jailed Friday for six years and 10 months for attempting to smuggle 1.46 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in a neck pillow into New Zealand.

Yoram Kalev, who lived in New Zealand, was sentenced at the Wellington District Court after admitting charges of importing and possessing the drug for supply, said a statement from the New Zealand Customs service.

Kalev arrived in New Zealand on Jan. 19 after travelling back from Hong Kong via Sydney, Australia, and was stopped and questioned by Customs at Wellington International Airport.

During a search of his belongings, a Customs officer noticed that a neck pillow he was carrying was unusually heavy.

A second neck pillow was found in the luggage and x-ray images of both pillows showed inconsistencies.

Examination revealed plastic bags filled with methamphetamine.

Customs investigations manager Maurice O'Brien said the drugs could have fetched up to 1.46 million NZ dollars (1.05 million U.S. dollars) on the street.

"This was an excellent example of our officers using passenger targeting systems and their skills and expertise to find and stop drugs," O'Brien said in the statement. Endit