Four Nigerian nationals and a New
Zealander have received jail terms
for their involvement in an
international drug smuggling ring,
New Zealand Police said on Friday. The Nigerians were jailed for terms
of 15 to 18 years after being found
guilty of importing and possessing
methamphetamine for supply, and
the New Zealander was jailed for
nine years for possession of methamphetamine for supply. The sentences handed down at the
Auckland High Court on Thursday
marked a successful end to a
combined police and customs
operation that began in November
2013, Xinhua reported, citing a police statement. Operation Gatsby was launched
after customs officers discovered
methamphetamine with a street
value of $1.5 million NZ ($1.04 million)
in the luggage of an Auckland man
who had just returned from Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. Detective Senior Sergeant Lloyd
Schmid said officers determined
that the man had been duped and
used as a drug mule by an
international syndicate and
launched an operation to track the destination of the
methamphetamine. During the five-week investigation,
they identified two further imports
containing over 1.2 kg of
methamphetamine, said Schmid. "Both had been sent to New Zealand
through the international mail
system from the Philippines and
Cameroon," he said. "Operation Gatsby demonstrates
that the New Zealand drug market is
being targeted by organised crime
syndicates from every corner of the
globe." In August last year, a 39-year-old
woman was jailed for four years
for possession of methamphetamine
for supply, and in January this year,
a 40-year-old man pleaded guilty to
a similar charge and was jailed for five years and eight months.
www.wap.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/nigerians-jailed-for-smuggling-drugs-into-new-zealand-115061900093_1.html
cc: lalasticlala