Drug Trafficking - Importing and Exporting

Last Updated on Monday, 05 September 2011 12:52

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Find out about the consequences of the drug trade...

Many of us would have heard of the Schapelle Corby case – the Australian woman accused of taking 4.2 KGs of marijuana into Bali hidden in her boogie board case, and caught by authorities on the other side. Schapelle was convicted by the Indonesian courts and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment which she is currently serving. Drug trafficking can have extreme consequences, and these consequences are subject to the different laws of countries around the world – how offences are dealt with here in New Zealand can be vastly different to how they are dealt with in other countries, and can often mean very strict penalties – in some countries they are even punishable by death.

Customs officers at airports have the right to check luggage, and if they feel it is necessary they also have the right to search passengers themselves. If a person refuses to be searched, they can ask for a review from a Justice of the Peace, a Community Magistrate or a Review Officer from within Customs. If the reviewer finds the search necessary (and the person in question still says no), then they will be searched by force.

Penalties for importing and exporting drugs

In New Zealand sentencing for importing and exporting drugs depends on the type of drugs concerned. Getting caught importing or exporting Class A controlled drugs (Methamphetamine, Magic Mushrooms, Cocaine, Heroin, LSD) can result in life imprisonment. For Class B controlled drugs (Cannabis Oil, Hashish, Morphine, Opium, Ecstasy and other Amphetamines) you can face up to 14 years imprisonment, and for any other controlled drug (Cannabis plant or seed, BZP) it can be up to 8 years. Remember that these are only the penalties in New Zealand. If you get caught smuggling drugs into another country, you will be prosecuted under their own laws which as mentioned can mean much stricter sentencing.

JUST A NOTE: This article concentrates on the importing and exporting of illegal drugs. But you should also be aware that if you are travelling with prescription drugs, it is a good idea to do a bit of research before you go, as different countries will have different rules about what you can bring in, and what documentation you might need in order to do this. With countries where it is okay to bring in prescription drugs you should make sure that you keep these in their original packaging that shows the prescription in your name and if possible take along a letter from your doctor as well.

Obviously there is a huge amount of risk involved in the trade of illegal drugs, especially with police tools such as sniffer dogs at airports, x-raying of bags and manual searches. If you ask us, it is hardly worth the potential prison sentence you might face. Police and customs take importing and exporting of drugs extremely seriously, as profits from this help to fund criminal activity not only in New Zealand but also in the countries where the drugs are being produced. These are often poor countries with limited resources that may be dealing with a whole bunch of other issues such as slave labour and civil war, and money made in the trade of drugs can often go towards funding these things and making the situation in these countries worse. You can read more about the global impact of the international drug trade here.

In New Zealand as well, money made from the illegal drug trade may end up funding gang activity and can put communities, lives, and people’s health at risk.

See our section on ‘drug types and effects’ to find out more about some of the different drugs that are out there, or click here to find out how you can get help.