Six-year prison sentence for 23-year-old drug courier
04.00pm 12 September 2025
A 23-year-old woman who attempted to smuggle 15 kilograms of methamphetamine on a flight from Canada earlier this year, has today been sentenced to six years' imprisonment.
The Canadian national was referred for a Customs baggage search upon arriving in New Zealand for the first time on 26 March 2025, on board a flight from Vancouver, Canada. She was arrested after Customs officers found 14 vacuum-sealed packages containing methamphetamine, with a potential street value of NZ$4.55 million.
Chief Customs Officer Drug Investigations Unit, Simon Jamieson, says anyone smuggling drugs into New Zealand should expect to be caught and face the hefty consequences that come with it.
He says if this amount of methamphetamine had entered our communities, it could have caused up to NZ$15.9 million in social harm and cost to New Zealand.
“Transnational serious organised crime groups don’t care what happens to you, regardless of your age or background. This person will now be spending a considerable time in prison instead of going home.”
Anyone with suspicions about possible drug smuggling can contact Customs confidentially on 0800 WE PROTECT (0800 937 768) or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
