Drug mule had 1.4kg of P in his body: Customs

One of the latex capsules containing about 5g of P found inside men detained by Customs at Auckland International Airport. Photo / Supplied

An Iranian man has been arrested with what Customs officials believe is the country's single biggest drugs concealment inside a human body.

The man, who travelled to New Zealand from Iran via Dubai, was allegedly found with 1.4kg of P which was concealed and swallowed in about 185 small latex "pellets".

The man was detained at Auckland Airport a day after two Lithuanian men were also detained, arriving here from Thailand via Malaysia on September 24.

Customs does not yet know if the cases are linked.

The Lithuanian men were scanned by officials, who discovered they had allegedly swallowed 645g and 400g of P in 77 pellets and 105 pellets respectively.

The total seizure netted $2.5 million worth of P.

Customs officials identified the men as potential drug smugglers but are refusing to say what attracted their attention because it could reveal investigation techniques.

A fourth man, an Iranian travelling on a Swiss passport, is also in custody after being charged with being a party to the importation of methamphetamine.

He arrived from Thailand shortly before the Lithuanians. He was not found to be carrying any drugs.

Customs controller Martyn Dunne said it was a "sickening attempt to bring in the pernicious drug".

He praised staff for their efforts in foiling the alleged smugglers' plans.

"Our officers are very well equipped both in terms of intelligence that means people like this are specifically targeted at airports, and in terms of their professional ability to observe, make good judgments and act."

Dr Amanda Hall, of Auckland City Hospital's emergency department, said a 1.4kg dosage of P constituted a "massive overdose" and would most likely be lethal.

"Methamphetamine is quite toxic and large doses can cause heart attacks, strokes, seizures, coma, death," she said. "It can make you pretty unwell."

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson was outraged by the attempt but said he was very pleased at how successful Customs had been in catching the smugglers.

"It sends a very strong signal to the criminal fraternity overseas that if you try coming here and doing this we will get you.

"This is a great demonstration of committed and vigilant work by the officers involved. They deserve my and the country's gratitude for this kind of success."

In May this year, more than 8kg of P, with a street value of about $6 million, was found in the luggage of Taiwanese tour group members at Auckland Airport.

Seven Taiwanese people in their mid-20s are before the courts after the drug was found, allegedly contained inside sealed food and beverage containers.

A Customs spokesman said finding the drug in its pure crystal form was rare.

It is more common to intercept ContacNT, a drug which is imported here and which contains a chemical used to make P.