Sentencing for air passenger found with gift-wrapped methamphetamine
06.00pm 22 August 2025
A Canadian national who attempted to smuggle gift-wrapped methamphetamine through Auckland International Airport in December last year, has today been sentenced to three years and two months’ imprisonment.
The 30-year-old woman appeared in the Manukau District Court today, charged with importation of a Class A controlled drug, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The defendant had arrived in Auckland on a flight from Vancouver, Canada, on Sunday 8 December 2024. She was arrested by New Zealand Customs officers after a baggage search identified five packages of crystal methamphetamine wrapped as Christmas gifts inside a duffel bag.
The total approximate weight was 9.9 kilograms, with a purity of 80 percent.
Removing this amount of methamphetamine from the market may have prevented up to NZ$10.3 million in social harm. If sold in retail amounts, the drugs would be worth approximately NZ$2.9 million.
Chief Customs Officer, Compliance and Enforcement, Ben Wells, says intercepts like these are the result of intelligence and close cooperation with international counterparts.
“We’ve worked closely with overseas border agencies to counter known threats and attempts by drug couriers to exploit airports and air routes, and prosecutions like this are testament to that teamwork.”
Anyone who has concerns about possible smuggling behaviour can contact Customs confidentially on 0800 WE PROTECT or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.