The police say an Auckland man arrested with methamphetamine worth $1.5 million is a victim of what they describe as a Nigerian-led drug ring, based in Auckland and Woodville.
The 68-year-old was arrested at Auckland Airport with what the police say was 1.5 kilograms of the drug known as P hidden in a laptop case and a suitcase.
Detective Senior Sergeant Lloyd Schmid says the man flew to Papua New Guinea last month believing he was going to receive a large amount of cash.
He says instead he was showered with cheap gifts and given two extra cases to return to New Zealand.
The drugs were discovered by Customs officers.
Mr Schmid says it is not the first time the man has been victimised by Nigerian scammers.
"This gentleman has a history of victimisation by Nigerian scammers," he says. "The best way to describe that is that he has been groomed over a considerable period of time".
Two further importations of meth valued at $1.2 million were intercepted in the mail, and nine more people were arrested, including five Nigerian expatriates.
