Woman arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle meth, disguised as Christmas presents, in carry-on bag

A Canadian woman was arrested after trying to smuggle over 20 pounds of methamphetamine through a New Zealand airport, authorities said. The illicit drugs were disguised as Christmas presents, New Zealand’s customs agency said earlier this week on social media.

The Canadian woman, who has not been publicly identified, arrived in Auckland on a flight from Vancouver, Canada, on Sunday, Dec. 8. Customs officers questioned the woman after she disembarked, the customs agency said. Agents then searched her carry-on duffel bag and found the drugs, covered in festive wrapping paper.

The drugs would have been worth up to NZ$3.8 million, or $2.2 million USD, the customs agency said in a news release. 

The woman was arrested and is facing charges of drug importation and possession, officials said. New Zealand public broadcaster RNZ reported that the woman appeared in Manukau District Court on Tuesday and was remanded into custody. 

Auckland Airport Manager Paul Williams said that international organized crime groups often try to exploit the busy travel season to smuggle illicit goods into the country. 

“But a busy airport does not mean Customs is not focused on or paying attention to anyone who may pose a drug risk,” Williams said in the news release. Williams said that every passenger who arrives in New Zealand is risk-assessed even before they arrive in the country. 

Williams said in the news release that he and his colleagues “know that drugs sent from North America are an increasing risks” and are prepared to find and seize such shipments, even if they are “smaller targets.” 

A Los Angeles man traveling to New Zealand was arrested in late November after security officials at Los Angeles International Airport found methamphetamine-covered clothes in his luggage. Overall, about a kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, of meth was extracted from the clothes. 

That same week, the international navel operation “Orion” resulted in the seizure of more than 1,400 tons of drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, along a Pacific trafficking route from South America to Australia. 

U.S. authorities busted an alleged international drug trafficking ring that was smuggling methamphetamine into foreign countries, including Australia and New Zealand, in February. Those drugs were allegedly smuggled in a number of vessels, including books and baby dolls.