Brazilian woman behind bars after 4.6kg cocaine found at Auckland Airport

Customs said X-rays shows "inconsistencies" in the luggage. Photo / Supplied

A Brazilian woman is in police custody after Customs officers say they found 4.6kg of cocaine with a street value of up to $3.2 million in her luggage at the weekend.

The woman, who turns 29 today, was detained at Auckland International Airport on Sunday after the cocaine was detected in her bags.

Customs said that the woman arrived in Auckland on Sunday morning on a flight from Brazil via Chile.

Upon arrival she was questioned and searched by Customs officers.

"X-rays showed inconsistencies in her bags which, when drilled, showed traces of cocaine," a Customs spokesperson said.

Almost 5kg of the Class A drug was then found in a black suitcase.

The woman will appear in the Manukau District Court on Friday on drug smuggling-related charges.

Customs investigations manager Bruce Berry said the agency used intelligence to identify the woman as an allegedly high-risk passenger.

"Further questioning and a search by frontline officers at the airport indicated that something was not right," he said.

"Customs' work is led by intelligence and we do extensive screening to identify those that may pose a risk."

Berry said Customs' profiling works across the different types of drug commodities and risk countries, whatever they are.

"This seizure is yet another example of a significant amount of harmful drugs that has been kept off New Zealand's streets."