An elaborate scheme to import methamphetamine hidden in maple syrup has been foiled by police and Customs.

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said it was the largest drug bust at New Zealand’s border and authorities cannot afford to relax.

The multimillion-dollar international drug operation was upended by New Zealand, Australian and Canadian authorities working together.

In January, the shipment of maple syrup from Canada was intercepted and found to be concealing 713kg of methamphetamine, which police estimated had a street value of $250 million and would produce around 35 million doses.

It was part of a wider shipment of methamphetamine bound for the Australasian market and New Zealand police worked alongside New Zealand Customs Service on the interception.

The methamphetamine was concealed in bottles of maple syrup. Photo / NZ Police

In February, five men aged between 22 and 45 were arrested at a rural property near Helensville when they took possession of the bulk of the consignment.

A sixth man, aged 28, was also arrested when he sought to take possession of the remainder of the consignment.

Police said they were due to reappear in the North Shore and Auckland District Courts “in due course”.

Operation Regis intercepted more than 700kg of methamphetamine. Photo / NZ Police

 “The international drug trade and organised crime groups are creating havoc and harm in communities around the globe, and our best opportunity to disrupt, intercept and keep our communities safe is to work collaboratively with other agencies, and other nations,” said Coster.

“This seizure of nearly three-quarters of a tonne shows the effectiveness of working across borders.”

Coster said the bust will help to combat the harm methamphetamine causes to our communities.

“Had this shipment been distributed across New Zealand it would have caused immense harm to the vulnerable communities these criminal groups were preying upon.

“We know that drugs are a major driver of crime in New Zealand, and we see first-hand how damaging the impact of addiction in our communities is.”

Had the drugs not been seized, police estimated the meth would have caused close to $800m worth of social harm, according to drug harm index figures.

New Zealand Customs controller Christine Stevenson said transnational organised crime groups are increasingly undertaking large-scale drug smuggling attempts at the border.

“It points to the determination of these criminals to peddle their harm in our communities for their own personal wealth and at the expense of our communities, regardless of the damage to social, health and wider economic wellbeing.”

Drug hauls

• March 2, 2022: Customs seized 613kg of methamphetamine at Auckland Airport.
• March 16: Customs seized more than 700kg of cocaine, which was smuggled in a shipping container that arrived at the Port of Tauranga.
• February 2023: The combined Police, Customs and New Zealand Defence Force “Operation Hydros” recovered 3.2 tonnes of cocaine from the Pacific Ocean northeast of New Zealand.
• March: 83kg of meth was found concealed in pallets which had arrived at Napier Port from South Africa.

The interception of drugs disguised as maple syrup follows a trend of food-related drug busts recently.

A large-scale investigation began after 21-year-old Aiden Sagala died on March 7 in Auckland City Hospital after drinking the meth-laced beer.

A shipment of kombucha bottles was among pallets of drug-laced beer cans seized by police in the 328kg meth bust following the death.

Recently, a multi-agency international investigation was launched after a suspicious shipment that contained 18 pallets of canola oil in a shipment destined for Melbourne from Canada.

A staggering three tonnes of methamphetamine was discovered in the shipment.