Customs seize $180,000 BZP haul

A woman has been arrested and charged over the importation of six kilograms of the recently-banned chemical benzylpiperazine (BZP) worth about $180,000.

Customs officers seized the Class C controlled drug, used to make party pills but banned in April, at Auckland International Airport.

The drugs were imported in two packages, Central Districts organised crime unit Detective Sergeant Phil Skoglund said.

A 38-year-old woman would appear at the Palmerston North District Court on November 11.

Penalties for possession of BZP included up to three months in prison, while suppliers could be jailed for up to eight years.

- NZPA