Record summer season for Customs

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson today congratulated Customs for its successful summer campaign, which achieved major drug seizures and high service levels during a record travel season.

“Customs runs Operation Summer every year, moving resources to assist holiday-makers entering and leaving New Zealand, while targeting those smuggling illicit goods or travelling for criminal purposes.

“Between November and March Customs made 120 drug finds, including three methamphetamine seizures totalling 14 kilograms at Auckland Airport.

Detector dogs also found $650,000 of undeclared cash,” Mr Williamson says.

During the five month period 1.89 million arrivals and 1.85 million departures were recorded across all airports, an increase of five per cent on last year.

“I’m pleased almost 96 per cent of those passengers were processed within the target of 45 minutes.  Providing a good service at the border is a big part of the Customs ‘welcome home, welcome here’ ethos,” Mr Williamson says.

Operation Summer also extended to cruise ships, with 113,000 arrivals and 110,000 departures across the country.