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Confidential report lifts lid on mass 'P' precursor imports

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Lovelee
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« on: March 15, 2009, 08:12:26 pm »

A confidential drug intelligence report has painted a disturbing picture of the prevalence and market for methamphetamine in New Zealand.

The National Drug Intelligence Bureau had to release the document to 3 News following an investigation by the ombudsman.

The report shows authorities are losing the struggle against the billion dollar ‘P’ trade, with customs only detecting one in five illegal hauls.

And the report says Chinese criminals are using new ways to get methamphetamine precursor to our shores without being caught.

A Chinese cold medicine known as Contac NT is imported into New Zealand because it has high levels of pseudoephedrine – the main precursor for methamphetamine.

A recent haul by customs of 17kgs worth of Contact NT would be enough to give 125,000 people a hit of ‘P’.

In the past five years Customs’ interceptions of Contac NT have increased by 1200 percent.

But, that figure is no success story.

The confidential report, which police would not release to 3 News until the ombudsman intervened, reveals that for every haul customs makes – up to five make it onto the streets.

“We’ve never made any claims of being able to stop everything,” says Bill Perry from Customs.

“There is a huge pile of freight, mail and passengers, which arrive on a daily basis.”

The report details New Zealand’s staggering demand for precursor substances and how they get here:

•      Contac NT is produced in a single factory in China.
•      Every year 2 percent of China’s total Contac NT production is diverted to supply New Zealand’s illicit demand –       approximately 10 million tablets.
•      This amount would produce 630kg of methamphetamine – enough to give each New Zealander two hits of ‘P’.
Police minister Judith Collins expressed her concern.
 
"It's a shocking statistic," she says.

And criminals have been coming up with new ways to get the drug past customs.

Because they know officials target consignments from China, shipments are being rerouted via countries as diverse as Argentina, Korea and Canada before arriving here.

Human drug couriers are also being used more commonly.

“They’re carrying it like a class A controlled drug. People have been interdicted recently who have body packed Contac NT to themselves,” says Stuart Mills of the National Drug Intelligence Bureau.

Ordering pseudoephedrine over the internet and targeting legitimate importers or post-dated stock have also been identified as ways to get the lucrative substance.

The report also says it is possible large amounts of Contac NT are being stockpiled by criminals to assure supply and control prices.

http://www.3news.co.nz/Confidential-report-lifts-lid-on-mass-P-precursor-imports-/tabid/209/articleID/95400/cat/61/Default.aspx?ArticleID=95400
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