Landlords are being warned to be on the alert for tenants who may be involved in the international drug trafficking trade.
Rental properties have been known to be used as locations for laboratories to make the drug methamphetamine, or P.
Such properties are also used as drop-off points for parcels containing methamphetamine precusors, which are then moved elswhere to be used in the drug's manufacture.
Customs Minister Maurice Williamson said at the launch of a Government campaign on Monday that landlords should look out for tenants who want short-term leases, pay cash up front and do not move into the property.
Mr Williamson said many of those involved in the drug trafficking trade carry large amounts of cash and may appear to be very wealthy. He said the prospective tenants also frequently inquire in some detail about the mail system.
Mr Williamson said properties in mainly metropolitan areas are being used and Asian landlords are being targetted.
Customs drug investigation unit manager Bill Perry says cold and flu remedies from China are smuggled in to New Zealand in a trade organised by trans-national criminals.
Landlords who suspect drug trafficking activity at their property are urged to call the Customs Service.
However the Tenancy Practice Service says if no drug preparation is under way at a property, spotting either a crime or a criminal is difficult.
It says organised drug dealers are rarely sloppy in their preparation and will always send a front man with no obvious criminal history to rent the property.
