The head of a national drug syndicate has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in the Christchurch District Court after an eight-month investigation by Customs connected him to more than 70 packages of illicit drugs found hidden in household items.

The 48-year-old man, who had faced 19 charges including supplying and importing class A, B and C drugs, was arrested in March 2024, following the earlier arrests of four of his associates.

Customs’ Operation Whoosh began in August 2023 and linked more than 70 packages containing either cocaine, MDMA, ketamine or 1,4 Butanediol, smuggled through air freight and international mail. The illicit drugs had a value of more than NZ$20 million. The drugs were hidden within household items readily available in New Zealand such as baby formula, clothes and garden gnomes.

Investigations established the defendant used an online jobs marketplace to recruit unwitting drug couriers to receive packages. His syndicate also sent packages to reputable businesses and then asked for the packages to be redirected. The defendant created two Darknet vendor sites advertising the sale of the smuggled drugs to New Zealand buyers and had even imported a pill press to manufacture the controlled drugs.

In March 2024, Customs Investigators with assistance from the New Zealand Police National Organised Crime Group, executed search warrants at the defendant’s home where he was arrested. Officers located several mobile phones, encrypted USBs, a large number of Prezzy cards, domestic post packaging, and SIM card packs.

Chief Customs Officer, Regional Drugs Investigations, Rachael Manning, said, “Analysis of phone data, spreadsheets and digital information provided crucial evidence in the defendant’s conviction.”

“People incorrectly think they’re safe on the Darknet, they’re not. Everyone leaves a trail, online or on their phone. This man was running a sophisticated operation and so he needed to keep track of it. Phone and other data helped unlock his operations, Manning said.

“And while huge quantities of legitimate parcels cross our border daily, Customs frontline officers remain vigilant and skilled at intercepting drug packages, supported through our Intelligence teams and backed by Investigations to stamp out the syndicate,” she said.

Customs is increasingly targeting high frequency, low volume drug smuggling following 2025 funding of $35m that has resulted in regional investigations teams.