Five facing charges over $500K meth bust

Photo / File

Five people are facing a raft of drug charges in relation to the importation of nearly $500,000 worth of methamphetamine.

Manawatu Police and Customs began an operation in to drug importation after Customs intercepted several packages containing MDMA and methamphetamine on September 1.

A total of 432 grams of methamphetamine was seized.

Later that month a Palmerston North man aged 29 was arrested after he allegedly imported 931 tabs of psychoactive substances and a small amount of cannabis.

In October, three Manawatu women aged 33 and 46 were arrested for allegedly importing methamphetamine, after two parcels containing 204 grams of the class A drug were intercepted at customs in Auckland.

Customs, the Manawatu Organised Crime Unit, and Levin CIB officers executed two search warrants yesterday, one at Levin and one at Waitarere.

As a result of the warrants a 30-year-old Levin man is facing a string of drug charges after parcels containing a total of 228 grams of methamphetamine, 25 tabs of LSD, and 558 MDMA pills worth approximately $28,000 were intercepted by Customs.

Approximately $14,000 in cash was also located by a customs sniffer dog at the Waitarere property and seized by police officers.

He has been charged with importing class A drugs methamphetamine and LSD, and importing class B drug MDMA.

He will appear in the Palmerston North District Court today.

Detective Sergeant Dave Thompson of the Manawatu CIB said: "When you deal in illicit drugs you risk everything, and the consequences could see you spend many years behind bars as well as the seizure and forfeiture of any property obtained through the proceeds of crime."
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