International probe nets 300 New Zealanders in Internet drugs trade

New Zealand law enforcement agencies have identified almost 300 people who bought illegal drugs online after an international operation to combat the Internet-based drugs trade.

New Zealand Police and Customs said they had spoken to more than 160 people identified and more visits would come as a result of Operation Hyperion, a coordinated effort to target buyers and sellers of illegal drugs through darknet and other sites.

From Oct. 22 to 28, agencies focused on packages coming through mail centers, and then tracked them back to buyers and sellers.

Among the illegal drugs identified were small amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, alpha PVP, LSD, ecstasy, and cannabis seeds, Police manager National High Tech Crime Group Kelly Knight said in a statement on Tuesday.

"These sites are not top secret. Police can view them, and together with Customs we can track packages down to addresses and individuals," said Knight.

The local operation had so far resulted in six arrests.

Operation Hyperion also involved law enforcement agencies from the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, France, Finland, Sweden, Ireland and Spain. Endit