Man arrested, accused of smuggling more than 100 bags of meth into NZ inside his body

A man has been charged with trying smuggle more than 100 packages of methamphetamine into New Zealand by swallowing them, Waitemata Police say.

The North Shore Criminal Investigation Branch said the man had swallowed the packages in Canada before heading for New Zealand last month. Police believe the packages contained methamphetamine. They were surgically removed from his bowel.

He was charged with importing meth and court hearings are under way, police said.

The Herald revealed last week that Canada has overtaken China as the biggest source of methamphetamine, or P, being smuggled into New Zealand.

In June a 36-year-old Canadian man was arrested for smuggling nearly $5million worth of meth into New Zealand hidden in a candle shipment.

Last October another Canadian man, 26, was arrested trying to leave the country and charged over an $8 million shipment of meth disguised as a piece of furniture.