New Zealand Customs Service

We recently welcomed a visit from key US partner agency, Joint Interagency Task Force - West, who made the trip across the Pacific to visit Customs and other key New Zealand agencies. This was also an opportunity to introduce the current head of JIATF-W, Rear Admiral Bob Little to New Zealand, and provide an overview of the collaboration that exists to reinforce the close relationship JIATF-W has with the New Zealand Customs Service. Their visit included discussions with Customs leadership, the National Maritime Coordination Centre in Wellington, and a visit to Auckland for a briefing on our Maritime and Intelligence capabilities. These discussions were aimed at how both agencies collaboratively focus on targeting the movement of illicit drugs across borders and the effects of Transnational Organised Crime across the Pacific region. Customs along with JIATF-W and NZ Police share a close relationship, which is supported by Customs and NZ Police liaison officers based in Los Angeles. Customs Counsellor Steve Waugh, who accompanied the agency on their visit said, “Customs does great work in protecting New Zealand, and our stakeholders such as JIATF-W are an important part of this. Their visit to Customs was a great opportunity for JIATF-W to speak to the people they often work with remotely, and across great distance.”

A 27-year-old international traveler is scheduled to appear in the Manukau District Court today for attempting to smuggle 9.9 kilograms of methamphetamine into New Zealand from Canada in his suitcase on Monday (26 August). The Canadian national arrived on a flight from Vancouver and, after questioning and a baggage search, Customs officers found methamphetamine concealed in several travel cube bags in his luggage. The 9.9 kilograms would have been worth up to NZ$3.5 million in street value. Chief Customs Officer Ben Wells says this arrest and seizure is a great success for both Customs’ frontline officers as well as intelligence and targeting experts who work behind the scenes to identify potential drug couriers before they even get here. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gScymG5M

Customs welcomed the opportunity to attend the recent Koroneihana, the annual celebration of the coronation of the Māori King. Kaitohutohu Māori, Lisa Pou, said it was an amazing time to listen and experience te reo māori, tikanga taketake (customary practices), kotahitanga, kaitiakitanga and manaakitanga. “The relationship between Customs and the Kiingitanga began back when Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu was the Māori Queen, and we acknowledge the importance of this relationship. We were privileged to have Customs Kaumātua Whaea Dolly Paul and Matua Kapiera Peita from the Ministry for Primary Industries guide us throughout this important day as we represented New Zealand oldest government department.”

Protecting our borders would be a “ruff job” without our detector dogs. 🐾🐕 A happy #internationaldogday to all detector dogs who work hard at the borders and beyond to keep our communities and country safe. Customs detector dogs are trained to detect illegal drugs, cash, and firearms, and are stationed across Aotearoa New Zealand’s border. Together with their handlers, they work across airports, seaports, mail facilities, and cruise terminals. Thank you to all our hard-working dogs and handlers for the invaluable work you do!

Today marks the first Medals and Long Service Awards Ceremony for 2024 to recognise outstanding staff contributions to Customs.👏 The Christchurch event recognised twenty-two Customs colleagues who received either the clasp to the Customs Medal, or Long Service Awards. Over a hundred friends, family, and colleagues of the recipients attended in support. Thank you for your commitment, mahi, and all you do to protect New Zealand’s borders and keep our communities safe.

A 35-year-old Rotorua man was today sentenced in the Rotorua District Court to seven-years-three-months’ imprisonment on representative charges of importation and possession of objectionable material. In February 2023, Customs investigators conducted a search warrant at the man’s home. Onsite forensic screening identified image and video files of children being sexually abused, resulting in his arrest for the importation and possession of objectionable material. Chief Customs Officer - Child Exploitation Operations Team, Simon Peterson, says this man was ultimately found to have over 50,000 image and video files of child sexual abuse stored on his devices and he had imported or downloaded almost 12,000 of the files. “Customs is one of three agencies in New Zealand who pursue these offenders, working closely with our partners in Police and the Department of Internal Affairs to identify, investigate and arrest those who propagate the vicious cycle of harm by sharing this type of material,” Mr Peterson said. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gPqmf_v7

The New Zealand Traveller Declaration is celebrating its first anniversary! Helping travellers declare what they need to, before they enter New Zealand. Here’s what one of our users had to say about using the New Zealand Traveller Declaration. Thank you everyone for your support in keeping New Zealand’s borders safe. Head to https://lnkd.in/gbd6AuMv now to find out more.

Two men and one woman were sentenced in the Auckland District Court today for their involvement in smuggling nearly 500,000 cigarettes, and evading approximately $675,000 in tobacco taxes. They have been remanded in custody and on electronically monitored bail with strict curfew after Customs arrested and laid charges in June 2023 and will serve home detention sentences until they are deported. Chief Customs Officer – Fraud and Prohibited, Nigel Barnes, says this is Customs’ first successful conviction for participating in an organised criminal group for a tobacco prosecution. “This was a calculated fraud by an international group who intended to rip New Zealand off. Illicit tobacco is not a victimless crime. It takes money out of our communities and puts it into the pockets of criminals,” Mr Barnes said. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gCV_S28e

Customs’ seizure of 4.6 kilograms of methamphetamine in an unclaimed backpack at Auckland Airport in 2022 has resulted in sentences of imprisonment for two men. The men, aged 24 and 20 years old, were jointly convicted for attempting to possess methamphetamine for supply. They were sentenced to three-years-and-three months and two-years-and-nine-months jail respectively in the Manukau District Court today. Customs found the drugs hidden in a backpack, which had arrived on a flight from Los Angeles in November 2022. Both men, who were employed as baggage handlers at the time, were noticed acting suspiciously around a collection of unclaimed luggage. Customs Investigations Manager, Dominic Adams, says, “Customs and our border and industry partners are always on the lookout for the signs of suspicious behaviour from travellers and those trusted to work in secure areas.” Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g4uNMdHs

Last week, a joint international investigation into an illegal drug smuggling syndicate based in Auckland was disrupted, resulting in 12 arrests and the seizure of illicit drugs and $500,000 in cash. Approximately $4 million in assets have also been restrained under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act. Under Operation Havana, NZ Police and Customs have been investigating the syndicate’s ‘scattergun’ method of allegedly smuggling drugs through the international postal system including methamphetamine, pseudoephedrine and MDMA over the course of two years. Customs Investigations Manager Dominic Adams says Operation Havana is another great example of domestic and international agencies working in close partnership, sharing intelligence, and dismantling transnational organised crime groups operating in both New Zealand and the United States. “Law enforcement is well-versed with criminal trends and it’s not uncommon for Customs to find criminal syndicates using a scattergun approach to smuggle smaller packages of illicit drugs instead of a single larger shipment. These seizures add up to significant quantities, which is why Customs continues to target both small and large drug shipments at the border. “Through the information collected, we’ve now been able to take down the New Zealand syndicate, while Customs and Police liaison officers based in Los Angeles were able to work with US authorities to tackle the overseas suppliers,” Mr Adams says. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gNnCkMEd