A joint customs and police operation that was investigating drug smuggling through New Zealand's busiest airport this week has led to 20 baggage handlers being arrested, accused of participating in the smuggling of Class A drugs into the country. This includes the likes of methamphetamine and cocaine in unattended baggage.

On Friday, Detective Inspector Tom Gollan attended a press release that updated the public on the status of 'Operation Matata,' which had been launched earlier this year and continued to investigate the facilitation of large amounts of drugs being smuggled into the country.

 Operation Matata this week entered its fifth phase of operation, which led to the arrest of eight gang members, including the president and other members of '28 Brotherhood MC.' These arrests include charges of importation of a Class A Drug, conspiracy to import, and possession with intent to supply. It was also noted that other gangs are believed to be involved, which include the Head Hunters and Comancheros.

The operation identified more than 20 baggage handlers working at Auckland Airport who were involved in the organized crime syndicate. Dominic Adams, investigation manager for New Zealand Customs, explains how the customs partnership with police and other international law enforcement agencies has aided the operation, as per a report by New Zealand news outlet 1News:

"Customs had worked in close partnership with police and international law enforcement agencies to "successfully dismantle a key arm of a major transnational organized crime syndicate. Intelligence revealed that these criminal groups were actively exploiting trusted border workers with access to the airport supply chain."

To date, the operation has successfully intercepted over 631 kilograms (1,391 pounds), with the border seizing 112 kilograms (256 pounds). The retail value of the meth alone exceeds NZ$220 ($126) million. If the drugs are able to cross the border, expect serious damage from their spread across the nation.

It is believed that the gangs involved utilized the 'rip on, rip off' method, which sees unaccompanied baggage added on international inbound flights, with compromised baggage handlers at destination airports to retrieve it. This technique was reported to have been used on a number of global supply routes that were inbound to Auckland from the likes of Bangkok, Santiago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City—all cities that have nonstop air links to the country's largest city.

The New Zealand Customs Service has been supported by the government, with additional funding of NZ$35 ($22) million to combat this specific problem, and it is believed that the issue of compromised baggage handlers sits with those employed by the organizations that work within the supply chain.

 For Operation Matata, the investigation is ongoing, and specifically, investigators have focused on teams that educate commercial partners to understand what they should look out for, including trusted insiders and poorly exploited workers. The government is placing additional enforcement teams on the front line across the country. Thus far, Matata has made over 43 arrests, corresponding to 347 charges. More than 72 warrants have been carried out, with up to NZ$800,000 ($458,000) in cash seized.

Currently, Auckland Airport is undergoing a major expansion, the largest since it first opened in 1966. This will see billions invested in a brand new domestic terminal, which will finally integrate both international and domestic terminals under one roof. Auckland Airport It is the main international port of entry to the country, with more than 75% of all international passengers passing through AKL. 

AKL is the home of Air New Zealand, where the carrier operates all of its long-haul and South Pacific flights. Additionally, the airport is a focus city for Jetstar and Qantas, with which Qantas operates head-to-head on the route between AKL and New York JFK. International carriers such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, LATAM, United, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Air Tahiti Nui, Fiji Airways, Air Canada, Hawaiian Airlines, Korean Air, Cathay Pacific, Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, and many more international carriers operate at the airport either year-round or seasonally. 

Source: Simple Flying