Asian organised crime recruits young students

Photo / NZH

Asian school students as young as 16 are being offered $1000 a parcel to bring illegal drugs into the country in a trend which has grown alarmingly in the last few weeks, say police.

An Auckland Grammar School student is the latest to be charged.

He faces a maximum jail term of eight years for importing drugs and money laundering.

His appearance in the Auckland District Court yesterday prompted a heavy warning from police to Asian students that they could be jailed and deported if they were enticed into the drugs trade.

Police said the problem had "really escalated" in the last few months, and mostly involved young Asian students.

Zhu Kuan, 17, appeared yesterday on charges of importing the class C controlled drug Contact NT and money laundering. He was remanded to appear again next month.

Contact NT was a flu remedy which contains pseudoephedrine, one of the main ingredients of methamphetamine or P. It was sold legally over the counter in China but in New Zealand it was an illegal class C drug and was used in the manufacture of methamphetamine for sale in New Zealand.

"We have a major problem with Asian organised crime groups using students as what are referred to as `catchers' for the importation through the mail of Contact NT," the head of the Auckland drug squad, Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Cahill told NZPA.

Students as young as 16 allowed their addresses to be used, or used another address for the drugs to be sent to. They could be paid around $1000.

"They retrieve it and it is then handed on to people higher up the chain.

"The catchers get paid for the job they do but the main risk they take is that they are the ones who get caught holding the importation and face serious drugs charges.

"Some of them quite understand the seriousness of what they are facing.

"They are being used by these organised crime groups who are committing very serious offences.

"But they know what they are doing is illegal. You don't get paid $1000 for collecting a parcel if you are not doing something illegal.

"We have dealt with them from a variety of schools in recent times."

Up to 10kg of pseudoephedrine was being seized each week at the borders and most of it was being brought in by students, he said.

Concerned police were trying to educate Asian communities on the dangers of getting involved in illegal drugs and the long-term effect a prison term would have on young people.

Many catchers believed the drug importers and dealers, who said teenagers would not be jailed in New Zealand, he said.

A kilogram of Contact NT would make slightly under 500gm of methamphetamine and that could be worth nearly $500,000 at street value, he said.

The headmaster of Auckland Grammar John Morris said he was not aware of a student facing drugs charges.

- NZPA