By 3 News online staff
A man has been arrested for attempting to smuggle around $1 million worth of cocaine into the country through Auckland Airport.
United States national Peter Rhee, 29, was detained at Customs after arriving on a flight from Los Angeles.
Customs officers found "inconsistencies” in two bottles of alcohol in his luggage, and Rhee was unable to provide a legitimate reason for his travel.
Testing on the contents of the bottles showed a positive match for cocaine, which had been suspended in liquid.
The cocaine’s value was estimated to be between $800,000 and $1 million.
Customs Manager Drug Investigations Mark Day says there is “an increasing prevalence of cocaine in illicit drug markets internationally” and New Zealand is seen as part of the global market.
“The methods of concealment are also the same ones that are being seen overseas,” he says.
Mr Day says the drug bust is “a great example” of Customs officers’ vigilance.
Rhee has been charged with importation of a Class A controlled drug, and has been remanded in custody. He is scheduled to reappear in the Manukau District Court on February 28.
3 News