27 September 2013

Customs hot on the heels of ‘P’ imports

PVC platform shoes destined for Auckland’s streets didn’t make it beyond the border after Customs found methamphetamine or ‘P’ worth up to $145,000 hidden inside the hollowed-out heels.

Customs Manager Investigations, Mark Day, says the importer may have taken the term ‘high heels’ a step too far.

“Criminals are always using creative ways to bring illicit drugs into the country but hiding drugs in shoes has to be one of the oldest tricks in the book,” he says.

Customs officers at the Air Cargo Inspections Facility in Auckland became suspicious when x-ray images of two pairs of shoes sent from China didn’t look right.

Upon examination, they located a package hidden inside each hollowed-out heel. The four packages added up to 145g of a crystalline substance that tests confirmed was Methamphetamine HCl.

“This quantity doesn’t sound like a lot, but could be worth up to $145,000. The shoes weren’t high fashion, but they were supposedly destined for sale, and are now proving very expensive for the importer.

“Customs is pleased to have stopped this package and we will continue to target imports to disrupt the drug supply chain,” Mr Day says.

Those caught attempting to import Class A controlled drugs face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

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