A ship from Mexico had docked at Port of Tauranga with two containers declared as scrap metal, raising eyebrows among Customs officials. Customs staff also found multiple tracking devices, such as Apple AirTags, scattered among the Mexican meth worth an estimated $63 million. There was a cellphone number listed for the person who wanted to buy the scrap metal from the importer. Operation Fix found 174kg of methamphetamine hidden inside a shipping container of scrap metal in July 2024. About a week after the 174kg of meth was discovered in the scrap metal, Gonzalez-Reyes was arrested at Auckland Airport.

Source: New Zealand Herald December 26, 2025 17:31 UTC