AUCKLAND DRUG SEIZURE SETS OFF INTERNATIONAL INQUIRY

A record haul of ecstasy tablets in Auckland on Sunday has set off an
international inquiry involving several law enforcement agencies.

The undercover customs and police sting produced the largest haul of
ecstasy tablets in New Zealand criminal history when 36,000 tablets of the
party drug, said to be worth more than $2 million, were found hidden in a
false floor of a wooden crate of camping equipment.

The drugs came from South Africa and were found after customs officers
targeted imports from that country after a tip from police late last year.

Customs officers found the haul when they removed the camping gear and
examined the box. When the drugs were found about a fortnight ago, customs
officers let the box through but kept it under surveillance.

Two men were arrested on the North Shore on Sunday and appeared in Auckland
District Court yesterday on joint drug charges.

Edward Wilcocks, 47, electrician, and English-born toolmaker Alexander
Gavin Smith, 35, both from Durban, were charged with conspiring to supply
ecstasy, possession of a class B drug and importing ecstasy into New
Zealand. They were remanded without plea until Friday.

Customs manager of drug investigations Phil Chitty said today it was hoped
others would be charged in New Zealand in relation to the seizure but it
was too early to say.

He said the inquiry was still in its early stages and several agencies were
involved. He said although the tablets came from South Africa, it may never
be known where they were made.

"Police and customs work very closely on this and with the National Drug
Intelligence Bureau, we work very closely with other countries."

Mr Chitty said although the haul was the biggest in New Zealand, it would
not be long before drug dealers and importers tried to go one better with a
larger haul.

"Last year we were talking about 25,000. This time it was 36,000, next year
we'll be talking about 45,000, the year after it will be 58,000 and it will
go on and on I guess."

However, he also said some of the most significant interceptions of the
drug could be some of the smallest.

"If we take someone out of the play early in the piece, it prevents them
becoming a big organisation."

New Zealand's traditional source of ecstasy has been the United Kingdom and
Amsterdam but Mr Chitty said in the last couple of years, the drug had been
coming into New Zealand from all corners of the world.

"We have had it from North America, from Asia and from Australia. Where the
tablets actually originate is cause for speculation."

However, he said the tablets seized in Auckland were quality, well-made
tablets and had the professional look of a pharmaceutical medicine. Other
seizures had a rough appearance and obviously came from a "backyard" factory.

He said there were some laboratories that had been found making liquid and
powder ecstasy in New Zealand.

The 36,000 tablets of the class B drug were packed in 36 packets and found
in 15 hidden compartments in the bottom of the wooden box.

Each tablet carried an igloo logo and they were definitely destined for the
New Zealand market, Mr Chitty said.

Last year customs officers found 25,000 smuggled tablets, now the second
biggest haul.

Last week 8000 tablets were found taped to the body of a man who had
arrived on a flight from Taipei.

At least three people have died using ecstasy and many more have been
hospitalised in New Zealand. The drug produces a euphoric state but it can
also cause brain damage, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, anxiety
and depression.