More than 200kg of ephedrine was stopped at the border last month - a record haul that could have produced $150-million worth of methamphetamine. (Getty Images)

Three men appear in court in relation to whopper drug bust, Mandarin interpreter requested

News
Crime

Author: Newstalk ZB staff,
Publish Date: Sat, 14 May 2016, 6:14AM

UPDATED 11.46AM: Three men made their first appearance at Auckland District Court this morning after being arrested yesterday in connection to the country’s largest ever seizure of the meth precursor ephedrine.

The men, aged 31, 34 and 32 years old, have been granted interim name suppression.

They appeared in court with their heads bowed in the dock during the hearing.

One is facing a charge of possession of a B class drug and the other two are facing two charges each; one of possession and one of importation of a B class drug, namely ephedrine.

The maximum penalty for the charges is life imprisonment.

Their arrests followed the haul of 200kg of ephedrine, which is used to cook meth, at the border late last month.

It was the largest amount of the drug ever found in a single haul, and was hidden in 80 boxes of paper sent from China.

Rectangular holes in the stacks of paper inside many of the boxes had been cut to hide the drugs in.

Police estimated the ephedrine had the potential to make up to $150m of meth, otherwise known as ‘P’.

Police then spent two weeks watching the occupant of an inner-city apartment in Auckland before carrying out search warrants at multiple residential addresses around Auckland yesterday.

Tina Cheung, junior counsel for all three men, requested a Mandarin interpreter for their next appearance.

She sought interim name suppression so the defendants’ families would have time to inform their friends and other relatives of their arrests.

All three have been remanded without plea and are due to reappear before the courts on Tuesday, June 7 at 10am.

Detective Inspector Scott Beard of Auckland Police's organised crime unit said the drugs would have caused immense harm to many people if they'd made it into the country.

"The environmental harm, with all the waste products washed down the drain, harm that's caused to families, children, relationships that break down."

Detective Inspector Beard said the seizure and arrests should send a clear message to would-be offenders.

"We will get methamphetamine or ephedrine that comes across the border, and we work hard to keep seizing it and stopping it getting into New Zealand."

READ: The country's largest ever seizure of the meth precursor ephedrine.