A major drug-smuggling ring has been busted at Auckland Airport, with police arresting baggage handlers and other airport staff and seizing millions of dollars worth of drugs. 

The mammoth operation led to the arrest of 17 men aged between 20 and 42 and a 19-year-old girl who face serious drugs charges, including importation, supply and possession for supply of the class A controlled drugs methamphetamine and cocaine. 

Detective Inspector Tom Gollan said Operation Matata began on March 20 this year when a man was arrested in East Tamaki and 25kg of meth was found in his vehicle. 

The subsequent investigation uncovered “a wider group organising and facilitating controlled drugs being smuggled through Auckland Airport”, Gollan said. 

The investigation came to a head yesterday when police searched nearly two dozen locations across Auckland and uncovered a swathe of illegal items, including a “significant” amount of cash along with quantities of cocaine and a sawn-off shotgun. 

Police also uncovered a sawn-off shotgun during the search warrants. 

Gollan said the police will be alleging in court that the group imported controlled drugs through the country’s busiest airport six times, smuggling through around 64.5kg of meth, which has a street value of around $71.5 million, and 3.4kg of cocaine. 

This equated to about 3,225,000 doses of meth and 34,000 doses of cocaine. 

Millions in cash was uncovered during the operation. Photo / Police 

“Insider threats pose a threat to this country, and we are pleased to continue to work with Auckland Airport authorities, Customs and overseas law enforcement agencies to stamp this out,” Gollan said. 

Customs investigations manager Dominic Adams said the staff abused their trusted positions. 

“There is zero tolerance for this type of behaviour, and this operation signals the action that law enforcement, with the support of industry partners, has taken against those who thought they could operate outside of the law and profit from their criminal activities.”