The Government is claiming another victory in its battle to eradicate the drug methamphetamine, also known as "P".
New Zealand Customs says for the first time, it has intercepted more than 1 tonne of the drug's pre-cursor, pseudoephedrine, over the course of a year.
2008 was already a record year for intercepting pseudoephedrine.
Last year, that tally was bettered, with 1.2 tonnes of the chemical seized at borders.
Customs Minister Maurice Williamson says the amount seized is clearly having an effect, as street prices have risen markedly.
"The way we can tell the real impact is what's being reported back to us by the police and Customs undercover officers about what the street price is doing.
"When the supply dries up, the price goes up through the roof. And right now, the price is very high."
Mr Williamson says the amount of pseudoephedrine seized in 2009 could have been used to make 246kg of methamphetamine.
