Trail cold on drug charge couple

A Chinese man and woman on the run from drugs charges are unlikely to still be in the country, police say.

Xie Jianzhong, 36, and Huang Hong Quin, 34, fled in mid February as they were about to face serious drugs charges in Auckland.

A court had ordered them to give up their passports but police said that would not stop them leaving with false documents and landing in another country.

They were charged with importing enough drugs to make up to $15 million worth of the methamphetamine drug P.

Detective Sergeant Mark Osbourne said there had been no sightings of the couple for a long time and they had probably "skipped the country" although there was no evidence they had left.

"It is very simple if you have the right connections," he said.

Mr Osbourne said the file had not been closed but no resources were being put into finding the couple.

They were arrested in December after police found pseudoephedrine, which is used to make P, and blank credit cards under their house.

Xie went missing in January after he was allegedly caught importing further pseudoephedrine products into New Zealand, then Huang went missing in mid-February when she failed to attend a hearing to discuss opposition to bail.

- NZPA