Police have arrested three men who were allegedly tricked into believing they were arranging the sale of several hundred kilograms of methamphetamine from Tonga.
Auckland drug detectives launched an investigation in July after a 34-year-old Tongan man and an associate travelled to Tonga to sample methamphetamine.
After the trip, the man decided the drugs were genuine and arranged to stockpile and distribute them in New Zealand, police allege.
Detective Inspector Bruce Good said an extensive investigation by Tongan and New Zealand police found the man was being scammed by his Tongan associates and there was no methamphetamine available for export.
Despite that, the 34-year-old and two associates continued to believe that the stockpile of methamphetamine in Tonga was genuine, Mr Good said.
