Pubdate: Mon, 31 Mar 2003
Source: New Zealand Press Association (New Zealand Wire)
Copyright: 2003 New Zealand Press Association

GOVT TO CRACK DOWN ON HARD DRUGS AT BORDERS

Border protection is being beefed up amid a warning that overseas-based 
transnational crime groups have been targeting New Zealand.

Customs Minister Rick Barker today announced funding for the Custom 
Service's illicit drugs enforcement unit, previously at $2.5 million, had 
been boosted by $1.9 million.

He said the extra money would help drug teams in Auckland, Wellington and 
Christchurch to be proactive - take action based on intelligence rather 
than reacting to events.

It would allow for 12 more specialist investigators and four intelligence 
analysts to be employed.

"The use of illicit drugs worldwide is a mounting problem and New Zealand 
is no exception," Mr Barker said.

"We have an increasing hard drug problem here, fuelled from both domestic 
and imported supply, and Customs needs to be better equipped to meet this 
problem."

He said the problem confronting Customs officers was made more difficult by 
the increase in travellers, mail and imported goods.

Customs national investigations manager Matt Roseingrave said a significant 
trend was the way overseas crime groups were focusing on New Zealand.

"Traditionally our risk has been our domestic residents, but this has 
switched in the last two to three years," he said.

"Our biggest concern is not only with the level and type of drugs being 
imported, but these groups don't have a commodity restriction. They are 
quite capable of changing the drug type.".

The announcement of increased funding coincided with the release of Project 
Horizon, a document that looked at the New Zealand drug scene and at 
Customs' enforcement strategies.

The report found use of amphetamine-type substances (ATS) in New Zealand 
was surging, methamphetamine (speed) in particular.

"The availability of methamphetamine is becoming comparable to the sharp 
increase in the supply of heroin in New Zealand in the late 1970s through 
the activities of the Mr Asia syndicate," it said.

"The availability at an affordable price is placing methamphetamine within 
the reach of drug users in all strata of society."

It said the ATS market was largely controlled by bikie and ethnic gangs, 
and their involvement in ATS manufacture meant Customs had to be alert to 
the importation of "precursors".

These were chemicals that might have legitimate uses, but were also 
employed for producing illicit drugs.

One example was pseudoephedrine, commonly found in cold and cough 
medicines, but also used for making the likes of P, or Pure.

The report described Ecstasy as the other fast-emerging drug of abuse in 
New Zealand, with most of it being imported.

Current annual Ecstasy use in New Zealand was estimated at one million 
tablets. Customs seized 255,000 Ecstasy tablets or their powdered 
equivalent during 2002, mostly from Europe, in particular Amsterdam. The 
figure was up 3000 percent on two years ago.

The report said the need to be proactive was demonstrated by the fact that 
26 of the 36 biggest drug seizures in New Zealand's history were the result 
of proactivity.

However, intelligence, profiling and technology fundamental to enforcement 
had been restricted by lack of resources.

Customs began a review of its drug strategies in 2001 in preparation for 
this year's review of the Government's National Drug Policy.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom