Three people have been charged with smuggling almost 2kg of meth inside high heel shoes, a soap box, car lights, and a golf putt box.

Minister Nicky Wagner says it's a world-class vessel, and will reinforce and enhance the protection of New Zealand's maritime border.

A Latvian traveller was sentenced to imprisonment today for trying to smuggle $1.1 million of meth into the country in baby carriers and tie boxes.

Ashtrays from Malaysia, hand warmers from China and belts from France all hid ephedrine with a street value of close to $1.9 million.

The New Zealand Customs service has helped overseas authorities seize a significant amount of drugs at their borders as part of a global crack down on drug smugglers and syndicates.

A Hong Kong woman has been sentenced to more than nine years in prison for smuggling $1 million of methamphetamine in cans of pork.

Customs bust a shipment of 4000 handbags from China hiding 30kg of methamphetamine.

Police are seeking a man in relation to the country's biggest ever cocaine bust. The man may or may not know anything about the $14

Customs is holding Somali New Zealanders up for hours and many Kiwis feel they are targeted at the border, a National MP says.

Customs also found homemade Mongolian cheese in her luggage.

Just which passengers will be fast-tracked through the country's airports is yet to be decided - but the new system will initially be by invitation only.

A passenger from Vietnam arrived in NZ with live Siamese fighting fish in plastic bags, declaring them as "wet fish" on his arrival forms.

New Zealand Customs has destroyed more than $62 million of illicit drugs this week.

Z Energy will get back $9.5 million of the amount it paid last year to settle a dispute with New Zealand Customs.

Border officials caught the lemon smuggler at Auckland Airport after she arrived on a flight from Hong Kong on Monday.

Hayden Bacon was sentenced to almost 3 years in jail.

A major IT project that took four years longer than originally planned and is almost $30 million over the initial budget is not another Novopay, Customs says.

Customs said one aim of the exercise was to show potential terrorists or WMD smugglers New Zealand was not a soft touch

Claims of a computer being destroyed at a New Zealand airport after scans suggested a gun was being smuggled inside have baffled Customs.

A children's toy, mahjong tiles, nail polish, and a puffer jacket were just some of the objects packed with illegal substances by drug smugglers this year.

Herald investigation: Border Patrol has created an unrealistic expectation about the job of Customs officers, says the chief executive of the border protection agency.

People might not always connect Internal Affairs anti-fraud specialists with a sense of humour.

Fruit fly-infested chillies, dried frogs and a tiger tooth are among the weird goods travellers have been trying to get past New Zealand border staff in the last month.

Around $50 million worth of illegal drugs have been destroyed in a Customs drug disposal operation yesterday.

Four Asian tourists are facing life in prison after being caught allegedly trying to smuggle over 12kg of methamphetamine into the country.

Customs has stopped a $360,000 supply of a "date rape" drug from hitting our streets, in one of the biggest busts of its kind in New Zealand.

US tourists say NZ airport security's confiscation of their chutney and jelly was bullying and has tarnished their holiday.