Two Chinese men and a male Taiwanese have been sentenced by Justice Charles Cato for importing about 2 kilograms or 2017.3 grams of pseudoephedrine to the manufacture of methamphetamine
Kevin Liu, 31, was jailed for 5 years and eight months, Shigin Lin, 32, was jailed for 5 years and 4 months while Xiu Ming Liu, 41, was jailed for 10 months for their involvement in smuggling of the illicit drugs, Taimi ‘O Tonga newspaper has reported.
This amount of pseudoephedrine had the potential to yield up to 442 grams or 663 grams of methamphetamine with a street value of around NZ$126,000 or NZ$355,000.
The trio were arrested after Customs intercepted a shipping container from New Zealand and packages sent from China, the paper reported.
The drugs had been hidden in boilers before they were sent from New Zealand, it said.
During a search of Xiu’s home, Customs officers found 62 grams of the ingredient in a refrigerator.