Hospital employee nabbed in drugs bust

By BRIDGET CARTER

A senior staff member at an Auckland hospital has been caught allegedly selling enough drug tablets to make up to $6 million worth of methamphetamine.

Police swooped on the man's home at 1am on Tuesday. Several hours later, he appeared in the Auckland District Court charged with supplying precursor substances, namely pseudoephedrine.

The man's name and occupation were suppressed.

The charge relates to 20,000 tablets, but police believe the man has bought up to 200,000 of the cold and flu pills to be sold on to make methamphetamine, also known as speed or refined further into the highly addictive drug P.

Detective Sergeant John Sowter of the Auckland Police drug squad said the hospital employee allegedly bought the pills from a pharmacy company.

He said 200,000 pseudoephedrine pills could make enough methamphetamine to sell on the street for about $6 million.

Mr Sowter said the charges followed a probe over a few months into the man. Three other people were also arrested and charged with possession of precursor substances.

The man at the centre of the case was remanded on bail.