Customs has seized 4000 handbags which were used to hide 30 kilograms of meth in small silica gel sachets.
The P has a street value of around $30 million dollars.
Customs were suspicious of the shipment which arrived from China and on inspection the handbags themselves appeared ordinary.
(New Zealand Police)
But each handbag had two to five silica gel packs, with approximately 3.6 grams of 'P' hidden in most packs.
(New Zealand Police)
Customs Investigations Manager, Maurice O'Brien says: "A large team spent a day-and-a-half opening and testing thousands of tiny meth-filled sachets that we're proud to have kept off the streets."
Ms O'Brien says this seizure is another great example of Customs' intelligence-led approach to identifying risks.
"This creative concealment shows that criminals will go to great lengths to try and smuggle drugs, but Customs is also constantly building its intelligence picture and updating its risk assessment and examination techniques to keep ahead of emerging trends."
"This is another big win for Customs and an even bigger win for our communities," says Mr O'Brien.
Newshub.
