Dramatic leap in P drug seizures

The amount of the drug methamphetamine being smuggled into New Zealand is skyrocketing, and the quantity seized last year is 23 times the 2003 total.

Customs Minister Rick Barker said yesterday that 17.5kg of crystal methamphetamine - commonly known as P - was seized at New Zealand's borders last year, compared with 748g the previous year.

"This is evidence that this life-wrecking drug is in demand in New Zealand," Mr Barker said.

Customs drug investigations manager Simon Williamson said the huge increase showed that the problem of methamphetamine in New Zealand was not going away.

But he also put the sharp jump in seizures down to the fact that criminals were no longer able to obtain the ingredients to make pure methamphetamine by buying cold and flu pills at pharmacies.

Strict sale guidelines meant that pharmacists now sold only a limited number of the tablets containing those ingredients, and kept a register of people who bought them.

"What has happened is that the problem has gone to the border," Mr Williamson said.

Gangs make millions of dollars throughout New Zealand selling P, which is known to be highly addictive and destructive.

It was used by Panmure RSA triple killer William Bell and by Steven Williams, who killed his stepdaughter, Coral-Ellen Burrows of Featherston, in 2003.

Last year, the number of significant drug seizures increased from 28 to 53. Also up were seizures of "precursor" drugs, such as ephedrine, which can be used to make P.

In one of last year's biggest seizures, Customs staff found enough precursor pills to make up to $15 million worth of P packed inside furniture which had been imported from China.

Mr Williamson described that case as "organised crime work".

"That sort of concealment is not just a one-off. It is pretty sophisticated and quite clearly destined for illicit drug use."

Mr Barker said that Customs would be relentless in trying to stop the drugs coming across the border.

Last year the Government elevated ephedrine and pseudoephedrine to the status of class-C controlled drugs to provide the police and Customs with more powers to respond. People importing these substances face up to seven years in prison.

Mr Barker said the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill now before the health select committee would enhance Customs and police powers.

Christine Kalin, the chief executive of Auckland's drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre Odyssey House, said the service had noted a steady increase in the use of P by clients during the past two years.

In that time it had become the third most common problem drug, behind cannabis and alcohol.

Ms Kalin said clients had reported that it was freely available.

Two years ago, the service had no young users of the drug, but now 15 per cent of them had a P problem.