August 2018
Official Information Act request: Thomas Beagle
NOTES
1. The information in this document was obtained from the New Zealand Customs
Service (Customs) database. While the information is considered correct at the
date it was extracted (2 August 2018), it may be amended or reviewed at any
time. This document contains information on referrals and drug seizures as a
result of detector dog indications.
Drugs and prescription medicines
2. Drug statistics for the year 2018 are preliminary and may include substances
suspected as being covered under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.
3. When a person arrives in New Zealand carrying prescription medicines (other
than controlled drugs) they must ensure:
they declare the possession of those medicines on their incoming
passenger arrival card which is lawfully required, and inspected, by the
New Zealand Customs Service; and
they have a copy of the prescription from a doctor, or a letter from a
doctor stating that they are being treated with the medicine(s); and
they carry the medicine(s) in their original containers, and
they have a quantity not exceeding three months supply of prescription
medicines (with the exception of oral contraceptives which can be
supplied in six month quantities).
4. If any of the above criteria is not met, then Customs detains the medicines and
records them as a prohibited drug interception.
1
Terminology
5. When Customs finds prohibited goods or goods that have been, undeclared,
mis-declared or undervalued for revenue evasion purposes at the border, it is
referred to as an ‘interception’. From there Customs takes custody of goods, at
which point they are ‘detained’. Goods that are ‘detained’ can be either released
back to the importer (usually when conditions/requirements have been met e.g.
duty and GST paid, doctor’s prescription/permit produced etc) or formal y ‘seized’.
Seizure is a specific legal action that alters the legal status of the goods and
instigates a sequence of legal requirements.
6. Goods which cross the border are either legitimate or prohibited (conditional or
absolute). Prohibited goods include controlled drugs and prescription medicines,
drug paraphernalia, objectionable material, weapons, copyright/trade mark goods
(IPR), items containing endangered species (CITES), and items covered by the
Customs Import Prohibition Order (CIPO).
7. If goods are intercepted or detained it is usually because:
a person failed to declare them
a person made an incorrect declaration or produced false or incorrect
documents
they are prohibited or restricted
a person attempted to evade duty.
2
Information:
Table 1: Referrals by detector dog indication, by passenger, for airports from 1
January 2013 to 30 June 2018
Airport
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
All airports
January
37
50
48
38
25
24
February
32
37
61
20
15
11
March
42
37
40
26
14
28
April
39
36
48
19
11
11
May
44
54
57
18
7
13
June
43
38
85
25
11
12
July
63
38
42
8
7
August
29
45
28
11
9
September
31
38
20
9
3
October
41
21
24
7
11
November
29
30
16
15
7
December
41
41
28
14
21
Air airports
Total
471
465
497
210
141
99
Auckland
January
21
43
46
31
13
13
February
24
27
46
14
10
5
March
24
21
37
18
8
16
April
25
29
38
14
10
4
May
23
46
51
11
5
5
June
34
30
71
15
8
3
July
36
28
38
3
4
August
21
35
17
4
9
September
20
30
18
4
2
October
26
16
16
4
9
November
18
21
14
10
4
December
30
34
19
7
3
Auckland
Total
302
360
411
135
85
46
Christchurch
January
7
9
February
1
2
4
March
4
2
3
8
April
6
1
1
7
May
1
1
2
3
June
2
1
1
6
July
2
1
2
August
2
3
2
September
2
1
October
2
3
2
November
3
1
2
3
December
3
2
12
Christchurch
Total
26
14
6
11
26
37
3
Airport
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
Queenstown
January
3
February
1
March
2
1
1
May
1
June
2
2
July
6
5
August
1
September
1
December
5
Queenstown
Total
10
5
1
5
9
1
Rotorua
February
1
Rotorua
Total
1
Wellington
January
6
7
2
7
12
2
February
8
9
14
4
4
2
March
14
16
3
4
2
3
April
8
7
10
4
May
19
8
6
6
5
June
7
7
14
8
3
July
19
5
4
4
1
August
6
7
8
7
September
9
7
2
4
1
October
15
3
5
3
November
11
6
1
3
December
11
4
9
5
1
Wellington
Total
133
86
78
59
21
15
4
Table 2: Referrals by dog indication, by baggage, for airports from 1 January
2013 to 30 June 2018
Airport
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
All airports
January
6
28
18
26
33
24
February
6
16
33
26
19
18
March
11
24
25
22
17
19
April
13
14
25
19
30
15
May
19
34
30
26
8
34
June
28
28
50
15
13
41
July
15
21
30
12
10
August
32
25
40
10
5
September
20
19
15
9
20
October
24
23
23
7
15
November
30
21
18
19
25
December
18
26
29
15
19
Air airports
Total
222
279
336
206
214
151
Auckland
January
2
19
17
18
24
11
February
5
15
26
23
7
13
March
9
21
21
19
7
13
April
7
10
22
18
22
7
May
16
27
28
19
4
12
June
23
20
46
10
6
14
July
6
18
29
5
4
August
30
22
31
8
4
September
13
14
15
3
17
October
13
20
13
3
10
November
25
18
15
9
12
December
13
22
25
8
5
Auckland Total
162
226
288
143
122
70
Christchurch
January
4
10
February
3
2
3
3
March
2
3
4
April
1
2
1
8
6
May
4
11
June
3
2
22
July
1
1
2
1
August
1
3
September
3
1
October
8
5
November
3
3
9
December
2
2
6
10
Christchurch
Total
7
6
22
18
46
56
5
Airport
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
Queenstown
January
1
February
7
March
4
June
4
July
3
2
4
September
1
4
December
2
Queenstown
Total
3
3
4
21
1
Wellington
January
4
9
1
8
5
2
February
1
1
4
1
2
2
March
2
3
2
3
3
2
April
5
4
1
2
May
3
7
2
3
4
11
June
5
5
4
5
1
5
July
5
1
5
1
August
2
2
6
2
1
September
4
4
2
2
October
11
3
2
4
November
5
3
7
4
December
3
2
4
1
2
Wellington
Total
50
44
26
41
25
24
6
Table 3: Positive drug dog indications (following referrals) at airports between
1 January 2013 and 30 June 2018
2013
2014
Breakdown by airport and
Incidents
Breakdown by airport and
Incidents
month
month
Auckland
16 Auckland
23
Jan
1
Jan
3
Feb
3
Feb
4
Mar
1
Mar
2
Apr
1
May
9
Jun
2
Sep
2
Jul
2
Nov
2
Nov
4
Dec
1
Dec
2 Wellington
3
Wellington
4
Jan
1
May
2
Feb
1
Oct
1
Sep
1
Dec
1
Grand Total
26
Grand Total
20
2015
2016
Breakdown by airport and
Incidents
Breakdown by airport and Incidents
month
month
Auckland
14
Auckland
5
Jan
2
Jan
2
Feb
1
Feb
1
Mar
2
Mar
1
Apr
2
Apr
1
May
1
Wellington
2
Jun
5
Jan
2
Nov
1
Grand Total
7
Grand Total
14
7
2017
Breakdown by airport and
Incidents
month
Auckland
6
May
2
Aug
1
Oct
1
Dec
2
Wellington
2
Jan
1
Feb
1
Grand Total
8
2018
Note: For 2018 YTD (30 June 2018) there has been no dog indications for drugs
at airports.
-ends-
8
