New Customs Minister Rick Barker today said he was worried about the growing market for amphetamine-based drugs and was going to work on ways to respond to the problem.
Mr Barker said that so far this year customs had seized nearly twice the amount of the drugs compared with the whole
of 2001.
"People talk about 'party' drugs or 'designer' drugs but the fact is these are hard drugs," he said in a statement.
"Methamphetamine and amphetamine in particular are linked to violent crime and anti-social behaviour."
Mr Barker said while customs was working to cut off the supply, it was clear the increasing level of smuggling was being driven by rising demand for the drugs in New Zealand.
"The Government is concerned about the impact of these drugs and I am looking forward to working with my colleagues on ways to respond to this growing problem," he said.
The Customs Service said in a separate statement it was seizing record amounts of synthetic drugs.
It reported that on Monday evening about 20,000 tablets of MDMA (usually sold as ecstasy) were discovered in the false bottom of a suitcase at Auckland International Airport.
A Japanese woman had been arrested and charged.
That brought the total amount of MDMA seized so far this year to the equivalent of more than 161,000 tablets -- more than twice the 73,000 seized last year.
- NZPA
