Customs seizes nearly 40,000 meth pipes and cannabis bongs in first seven months

Customs data show that importers are attempting to bring a dramatically larger number of meth pipes and cannabis bongs into New Zealand, with just under 40,000 items seized between January and July—more than the 37,000 taken during the entire previous year and 25 times the 2024 total. An RNZ investigation revealed that glass pipes for meth are readily displayed in vape stores, $2 shops and dairies in the Far North, often alongside children’s novelty items and without age restrictions.

Despite a law enacted in 2014 prohibiting the import and sale of these drug utensils, retailers appear unaware or indifferent to the ban. Customs northern inspections manager Jared Nicholson explained that seizures can occur via air cargo, mail, sea cargo or passenger luggage, using intelligence-driven risk assessments. Recent large-scale interceptions, including a container with 21,400 meth pipes, have led to prosecutions and fines. While the number of seizure operations has fallen, the size of individual consignments is rising sharply.