Two men are facing charges for importing drug ingredients and possessing P after they were arrested by New Zealand Customs officers in a bizarre mid-morning car chase in Auckland.
Bystanders have described seeing a dramatic car chase on Te Atatu Rd, Te Atatu Peninsula last Friday morning when two unmarked cars pursued a vehicle before "sandwiching" it to a stop near the motorway on-ramp.
One woman, who wished not to be named, said she saw one vehicle drive very close in front of a car and another very close behind, until the car was "sandwiched" and forced to stop.
She said she then saw Customs officers leave their vehicles and arrest a man from the sandwiched car.
A Customs spokeswoman said the man was arrested along with another man and charged "with multiple importations" of the Class B drugs pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, as well as possession for supply of the Class A drug, methamphetamine.
The men appeared in Auckland District Court the same day and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
They were both remanded in custody after they did not apply for bail.
A case review hearing has been scheduled for March.
The spokeswoman said the arrests were part of a Customs operation, but would not be drawn on the details as the matter was before the court.
A Waitemata Police spokeswoman said officers were not involved in the operation or arrest, and it did not involve the multi-agency Organised and Financial Crime Agency New Zealand which often handles drug crimes.