New Zealand Customs has intercepted an estimated $3 million worth of methamphetamine concealed in speakers thanks to an international partnership disrupting a transnational drug trafficking syndicate.
The Class A drugs, which were concealed in electronic devices across two parcels, were seized between April and June 2025.
Customs said 10kgs of methamphetamine were found in the packages – the equivalent of 500,0000 doses.
The seizure came after cooperation and the exchange of intelligence between agencies in the United States, Singapore and Australia.
How intelligence was shared
Customs said it seized the drugs using information from the Central Narcotics Bureau of Singapore.
In April, the Singaporean agency received information about freight parcels of electronic devices, suspected to be carrying controlled drugs, which was transiting through the country.
The parcels were thought to have originated from the United States and were bound for New Zealand.
When Singaporean authorities intercepted the parcels, they were found to contain more than 10kg of methamphetamine. This prompted follow-up investigations, which led to the identification of other similar parcels bound for both New Zealand and Australia.
It was these investigations which enabled Customs to seize their two parcels.
40kgs of meth concealed in furniture, coffee and mustard
The intelligence also led to Australian authorities intercepting multiple consignments in May 2025 containing around 40kgs of methamphetamine.
The drugs – which had been concealed in furniture, coffee and mustard – was worth an estimated $37 million.
Prior to the discoveries in New Zealand and Australia, the Narcotics Bureau had seized multiple packages amounting to 49kgs of methamphetamine between November 2024 and April 2025. The drugs were destined for several countries in the Middle East, Europe, East Asia and Australasia. The shipments were suspected to belong to the same alleged syndicate as the Central Narcotics Bureau and NZ Customs’ seizures.
The syndicate used the same approach involving the concealment of narcotics within electronic devices and routing them through courier and virtual office services to obscure the origin of the shipments.
The group is currently under investigation by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to identify individuals allegedly involved and the sources of their supply, NZ Customs said.
"DEA investigators believe the methamphetamine originated from Mexico and was imported into the United States for further delivery into more lucrative markets in the Asia-Pacific region."
Why New Zealand is ‘lucrative’
New Zealand Customs investigations manager Dominic Adams praised the collaboration with international partners.
“As this international operation shows, combining intelligence and timely action between partners internationally delivers results.
“The United States, Singapore, Brunei, New Zealand and Australia targeted an international syndicate preventing methamphetamine from getting into our communities and doing damage.”
Adams said New Zealand pays “one of the highest prices in the world for illicit drugs such as methamphetamine”.
“[This] makes us a lucrative destination that organised crime is constantly trying to exploit. A transnational criminal network requires a transnational law enforcement approach to tackle it, and we value the support we have received through this operation.
"New Zealand will continue to build on our collaboration with Singapore, the United States, Brunei, and Australia to identify drugs destined for our shores.”
16 arrested in joint operation
Sixteen people were arrested after an investigation identified more than 90 importations of methamphetamine destined for New Zealand.
"Approximately 50% of these attempted importations were seized by law enforcement agencies overseas and in New Zealand," Detective Inspector Darrin Thomson said.
The 12-month investigation, Operation Amalgam, was jointly carried out by NZ Police and Customs.
Thomson said the arrests hold those to account who would “prey on our communities with no regard to the impact that drug addiction and related crime causes”.
"The strength of operation amalgam was in the tremendous partnerships we grew domestically and internationally. Our partnerships strongly supported the disruption of this supply chain and has prevented significant future harm and crime across Aotearoa."
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