22 October 2013

Student ‘catcher’ to spend birthday in jail

A university student from Hong Kong will spend his 23rd birthday in jail tomorrow after being sentenced to two and a half years’ imprisonment for importing 877.5 grams of Contac NT.

The Contac NT contained enough pseudoephedrine to manufacture up to 265 grams of pure methamphetamine with a street value of up to $265,000.

Pak Ho (Wesley) Chan was sentenced in the Auckland District Court following his arrest by Customs in May for his involvement in two separate importations. He will be deported on release.

Customs Manager Investigations Shane Panettiere says this is another case of a young student being used by criminal syndicates as a ‘catcher’ to receive and deliver packages in exchange for money.

As part of ongoing investigations, Customs officers examined two packages addressed to Chan from China. One package had 223.1 grams of Contac NT in the lining of a ‘US Polo’ tartan-pattern bag, and another had 654.4 grams of Contac NT inside hip flasks.

“Criminals are recruiting young people to receive and deliver packages and this is more common than people realise. The public should be aware of the methods some of these syndicates use,” Mr Panettiere says.

“These include, people renting properties or apartments solely for the purpose of having packages delivered to the address, or being asked to receive a package on someone else’s behalf. These dealings could be happening openly in universities, schools, or student apartments.”

To report any suspected behaviour call 0800 4 CUSTOMS.

“Customs is working closely with NZ Police to target and stop such imports in order to disrupt the methamphetamine supply chain and crack down on criminal syndicates,” Mr Panettiere says.

-ends-

© Scoop Media