Wellington drug bust: 23kg meth, 1000 MDMA pills seized, four arrested

A joint NZ Police and NZ Customs investigation seized 23kg of methamphetamine. Photo / NZ Police

Police have arrested four men after busting a Wellington-based syndicate, seizing 23kg of methamphetamine and more than 1000 MDMA pills.

The police and customs operation identified a group “smuggling significant amounts of drugs into New Zealand” over several months.

Last week, several search warrants were carried out in Wellington.

Meth with a street value of more than $8 million and MDMA worth $50,000 was seized.

Police say they found a loaded pistol and ammunition.

The men, aged between 26 and 30 years old, face serious charges including importing and supplying meth, as well as possession for supply of cocaine, MDMA and cannabis.

They have appeared in the Lower Hutt and Wellington District Courts.

A joint NZ Police and New Zealand Customs investigation seized more than 1000 MDMA pills. Photo / NZ Police

Police believe the Wellington-based group had been working for some time.

Detective Inspector Darrin Thomson, of NZ Police’s National Organised Crime Group, said: “We are confident we have made a dent in this syndicate’s supply chain and the charges reflect the seriousness of the alleged offending”.

Thomson said an “enormous amount of serious harm” was done by drugs and “suppliers [are] giving no conscious thought to the impact on those they are supplying to”.

“Meth is a highly addictive illicit substance that often leads to addiction and violence. It brings misery to families and relationships.

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