New Zealand Customs Service

Customs catches alleged drug courier at Auckland Airport with approximately 14 kilograms of meth concealed in her luggage last week. The 27-year-old woman arrived on a flight from Vancouver via Sydney last Wednesday and was referred to Customs for further questioning. Customs officers conducted a search of her baggage and found two sealed packages with crystal substances wrapped inside two towels, which border testing indicated was methamphetamine. Customs Auckland Airport Manager Paul Williams says, “This is another case of transnational criminal syndicates targeting individuals and exploiting them for their own greed and gain. Our message to anyone who thinks this is easy money – don’t do it. Don’t be a pawn in their game.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/ghExcuA6 Anyone with suspicions about possible smuggling should contact Customs confidentially on 0800 WE PROTECT (0800 937 768) or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Customs has arrested an Auckland businessman after two million cigarettes were smuggled into the country this week. He appeared in the North Shore District Court today. The illicit tobacco, worth NZ$3M in revenue evasion, was seized by Customs following information from overseas border partners about two sea freight containers suspected to contain undeclared cigarettes, destined for New Zealand. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gGBaZWcG Anyone with information about suspicious activity can contact Customs confidentially on 0800 WE PROTECT (0800 937 768) or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Customs has today returned close to 60 kilograms of pounamu seized at the border to its rightful guardians, Poutini Ngāi Tahu (West Coast hapū), in a special ceremony held at Arahura Marae in Hokitika. The pounamu was intercepted by Customs during separate illegal export attempts, and returned to Poutini Ngāi Tahu as part of an ongoing joint commitment to stop the illegal trade of this precious New Zealand taonga (treasure). Comptroller Christine Stevenson emphasised during the ceremony that Customs’ focus is not just on law enforcement, but also respecting pounamu as important taonga or treasure that must be protected. “I am encouraged by the ongoing collaboration with Poutini Ngāi Tahu and look forward to strengthening this relationship,” she said. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gxhdyBYF

Co-hosted with the World Customs Organization, this week we welcomed financial crime experts from across Asia-Pacific to New Zealand for a three-day workshop on combatting money laundering, terrorism financing and the smuggling of bulk cash, gems and precious metals. Financial crime is prevalent across the world and often linked to other serious criminal activities such as illicit drug and tobacco smuggling. These workshops are an important opportunity to strengthen our close working relationships with Asia-Pacific colleagues and share intelligence which enhances our collective capacity to combat financial crime. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g67SrRVi

Love dogs, action, and enforcement? If so, then being a Customs dog handler could be for you!🐕 We're currently on the hunt for a detector dog handler (Customs Officer) based in Auckland. Teamed up with your canine partner, your role will be to detect and identify illicit drugs and cash at the border. You will need to be fit, motivated, and able to relate to a wide range of people across the environments we work in. Sound good? Find out more on the careers site or to apply for the role https://lnkd.in/gFmTuZMv 👉Applications close 24 November 2024.

In the past week, Customs has arrested three men from across the country in separate cases relating to child sexual abuse material. Customs investigations identified the defendants, and that they had travelled from overseas, and each were questioned on arrival into New Zealand. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gy8xV4Yy If you have concerns or suspicions about someone who may be trading in, or producing child sexual abuse images or videos, contact Customs confidentially on 0800 WE PROTECT (0800 937 768) or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. If you are, or know of, someone who is at risk or being abused, contact the Police immediately.

A Customs team has joined more than 450 New Zealand personnel in Samoa for the high-profile Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which has seen heads of state and thousands of dignitaries arrive into Apia. It is the first Pacific Island nation to host the event, which is also the first that King Charles III has attended as Head of the Commonwealth. Prior to the event we supported Samoa Customs by providing new wireless radio units and systems and new uniforms for Customs staff, implemented training across a range of airport entry and departure processes, and also took part in a multi-agency leadership refresher workshop. During the event we are assisting with the arrival of VIPs and support personnel, who are arriving in a mix of military, private, charter and commercial aircraft. The staff we deployed all have either family connections or other links to Samoa that give them valuable local know-how. We are pleased that our people can help our border partners in Samoa ensure this major international event is a success.

This week is Cyber Smart Week across Aotearoa New Zealand! CERT NZ is delivering Kiwis ‘Scamathon’ and providing tips on how to avoid getting scammed online. Equip yourself with these quick cyber safe tips: 💡 Elevate your security: use a long password and two-factor authentication. 💡 Protect yourself against phishing scams: don’t click any suspicious email links or scan any QR codes you weren’t expecting. 💡 Report any suspicious social media links and pages that ask you to click on links to the site administrator. Cyber security is everyone’s business.

The World Customs Organization's Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia and the Pacific was welcomed to Auckland last week for a two-day gathering of data experts. The event brought together customs officials and data practitioners from across the region to share best practice and discuss how data analytics can be used to improve border security. New Zealand Customs Joint Border Analytics Manager Wei Jiat-Tan said, "The Asia Pacific region faces complex challenges from the evolving threat of transnational organised crime. Meetings such as these provide our agencies with an opportunity to learn from each other and engage in in-depth discussions on how we can use data and advanced analytics to combat cross-border threats." Attendees included representatives from Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, India and the Philippines, as well as the World Customs Organization Secretariat.

⚠️⚠️ Please be alert to text messages currently in circulation which appear to be from Customs, but are likely to be a phishing scam. Customs has received a report of a text message which tells recipients they have received a package which is being cleared by Customs, and asks recipients to click on a link to confirm a postal address. While the text may appear genuine at first glance, it is not. The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) is responsible for investigating complaints about unsolicited commercial electronic messages. Forward the message free of charge to 7726, or go to their website for more information: Spam-Report-TXT-Spam - dia.govt.nz