A man accused of trying to carry more than a million dollars worth of methamphetamine into New Zealand earlier today has appeared in the Wellington District Court.
Yoram Kalev, 48, has been charged with importing methamphetamine into New Zealand and possession of the drug for supply.
He had travelled to New Zealand from Hong Kong and arrived in Wellington on a flight from Sydney early this morning.
The Customs service said Mr Kalev was questioned and his bags searched and officers found 1.5kg of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of around $1.5 million hidden inside two neck pillows.
Mr Kalev entered no plea to the charges and was remanded in custody to reappear in Court later this month.
The Customs service's Investigations Manager, Maurice O'Brien, praised the work of officers involved in discovering the methamphetamine.
"Our intelligence-led approach has removed another large amount of methamphetamine from the drug supply chain preventing substantial harm to our communities. It is a very good result," he said.
