China deports drug suspect

Police surveillance photo of Da Wen Shao (right) meeting Van Tran in a supermarket carpark. Photo / Supplied

Exclusive: Auckland man back in NZ and charged over huge methamphetamine seizure.

A suspect in an alleged drug syndicate, allowed to leave New Zealand for fear of jeopardising the covert investigation, has been deported "voluntarily" from China.

The police raided two Auckland homes in October 2013 and found 263kg of pseudoephedrine, the drug used to make methamphetamine, but did not arrest those allegedly in charge of the supply ring.

This was done in the hope that those under surveillance would think they had escaped detection and allow police to continue gathering evidence.

Da Wen Shao left New Zealand the next day and avoided being arrested with more than 30 others six weeks later. Nearly two years later, the 45-year-old is back in the country and behind bars, despite the lack of an extradition treaty with China.

The Herald understands Shao was deported from China, where he was born, because he had to relinquish his Chinese passport when he became a New Zealand citizen. This means he was living there as an illegal immigrant and Chinese authorities, working closely with New Zealand counterparts, deported him.

Shao's return is similar to how convicted murderer and sex offender Phillip John Smith was sent back to New Zealand from Brazil following his escape from prison.

Detective Inspector Bruce Good, the officer in charge of the drug investigation, said Shao came to New Zealand "voluntarily". Mr Good has previously said the decision to allow Shao to fly to China was difficult.

"If we arrested him, we'd have to terminate the operation early.

"Otherwise they would all be running to the airport, or flushing their drugs down the toilet."

Court documents show a van-load of 20 boxes labelled corn starch - but containing pseudoephedrine - were switched with boxes of corn starch in a Customs-controlled area at Auckland International Airport.

The swap happened inside a freight company under police surveillance. Intercepted phone calls show Shao was allegedly in contact with a staff member, who told him the van would be ready to collect soon.

Undercover officers followed the van to homes in Avondale and Blockhouse Bay.

Caches of 58kg and 205kg were discovered and two people who lived at the houses were arrested.

Together, this is one of the largest seizures of pseudoephedrine in New Zealand history.