Chinese drug rings luring students in, police say

Chinese drug traffickers are splashing money around and driving flashy cars to lure foreign students into doing their dirty work, a top police drug squad officer says.

His comments follow the seizure of a container loaded with $3 million worth of methamphetamine precursors following a lengthy investigation into Chinese drug importers.

Police seized 67kg of the drug ContacNT from a container at the Port of Auckland. It could have been used to manufacture up to 20kg of pure methamphetamine.

The drugs were well-hidden inside secret compartments carved into Chinese granite, Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Cahill of the Auckland police drug squad said.

Five Chinese-born men, aged between 17 and 22, have been charged with importing pseudoephedrine, and possession of pseudoephedrine for supply.

Four men appeared in Auckland District Court yesterday and were remanded on bail until March 29. The fifth man appeared in court today and was remanded in custody, also until March 29.

Three of the men were in New Zealand on student visas, while two were permanent residents.

The drugs, with a street value of $3m, had been imported to supply Auckland methamphetamine labs, Mr Cahill said.

They could have been used to manufacture of up to $20m worth of methamphetamine, with social costs estimated to be between $5.5m to $8.2m.

"Importing a Class C drug is a very serious offence and they will go to prison for it if convicted," Mr Cahill said.

The seizure followed several months of investigation into an alleged Chinese drug ring by police and customs officers.

"We were aware that there were a number of Chinese groups in Auckland that were doing this," Mr Cahill said.

"We're certainly looking further into it to see if there's been previous imports, and it's possible there will be further arrests." Mr Cahill said he was concerned that Chinese drug rings were enticing foreign high school and English language students into the illegal trafficking trade.

"It's been an ongoing problem," he said. "They're using them to do the most menial tasks, but the ones that are most risky, as in receiving the packages or unpacking containers."

The majority of students drawn into the trade were Chinese, Mr Cahill said.

"They'll be approached around internet cafes or gaming parlours, things like that. The gangs will usually be flashing around a bit of money or driving flash cars, which can lure them in." The gangs often preyed on students' loneliness by offering friendship, Mr Cahill said.

"Before they know it they'll be asked to do things ... they don't have to be too naive to realise what they're doing is illegal."

Drug trafficking was a multi-million dollar trade, and gangs went to great lengths to secure their supplies, he said.

"There will certainly be arrests of other importers, because they're not going to stop. So we've got to keep working on it."