Record Ecstasy Seizure

The New Zealand Customs Service has this week effected their single biggest seizure of the drug Ecstasy, Phil Chitty, Manager Drugs/Prohibited Goods Investigations said today.

The seizure came about as a result of Customs officers at Auckland International Airport profiling express cargo at an Airport bonded warehouse. A consignment from Belgium containing a motor vehicle gearbox housing was set aside for examination. When the flange cover to the housing was removed a plastic bag crammed within the housing was revealed. Within the plastic bag were 25,170 terracotta coloured tablets which have since been confirmed to be the class B drug MDMA (commonly known as Ecstasy).

Mr Chitty said Customs drug investigators and Police drug squad detectives undertook a joint operation subsequent to the seizure and this resulted in Police arresting three men on charges relating to the importation and possession of the Ecstasy. They are due to appear in the Auckland District Court today.

Given that this matter is now before the Court no further operational details will be provided.

The size of this seizure clearly indicates that the demand for this drug in New Zealand continues to be high. The colour of these tablets and from whence they came continues the diversity of appearance and source that our front line Customs staff are continually encountering, said Mr Chitty.

Ecstasy is in fact a “street name”. It is normally taken to mean the class B controlled drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), but can also be the class A controlled drug methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) or the class C controlled drug methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA).

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