Meth ‘Kingpin’ Faces 5 Years for 200kg Bust
Builder Jailed as Police Unravel Drug Economics
A West Auckland builder has been sentenced to five years in prison after attempting to collect what he believed was a 200kg shipment of methamphetamine. The case highlights the staggering economics of drug trafficking, with a single large consignment escalating dramatically in value.
The Escalating Value of Illicit Cargo
Detective Superintendent **Greg Williams**, head of the National Organised Crime Group, outlined the financial pyramid scheme of drug distribution. The 200kg of meth that **Joshua Auina-Anae** thought he was collecting was intercepted by authorities in China. At a wholesale price of “$130,000 a kilo,” the initial shipment was valued at $26 million.
“Then it’s cut down into ounce prices, which sell for around $5000 an ounce. And then by the time it hits the street, it’s at gram prices which are sitting around $480 to $380 sort of price. Now you’re in the range of $76 million to $96 million.”
—Greg Williams, Detective Superintendent
By the time the drug reaches street-level consumers, sold by the gram, its value could skyrocket to between $76 million and $96 million. This stark contrast between the initial wholesale price and the final street value underscores the immense profit potential driving these criminal enterprises.
‘Cleanskins’ and the Greed Factor
Auina-Anae, a first-time offender and owner of his own construction business, was referred to as a “cleanskin,” “catcher,” or “door” – terms used by organised crime for individuals with no prior convictions who act as the front or facilitator for shipments.
The operation involved an international effort, with a tip-off from China’s Anti-Smuggling Bureau leading to the meth being replaced with a harmless substance. Police and Customs apprehended **Auina-Anae** when he arrived to collect the consignment at a commercial unit in Hobsonville.
“So often, a door is, ‘I’ve corrupted someone within the system at the border or someone prepared to take this risk, someone without any criminal history who’s prepared to be the front person or the ‘catcher’, and then they organise the shipment into the country.”
—Greg Williams, Detective Superintendent
**Auina-Anae** received instructions from an unidentified individual and was expecting payment for his role, though his lawyer, **Jasper Rhodes**, noted the amount was “absolutely disproportionate to the profits that the leading offenders were expecting to earn.” Criminals at this level might receive around $40,000 for such a high-risk task, according to **Williams**.
The case underscores how transnational crime relies on corrupting individuals with access or those willing to take significant risks. Drug cartels in Mexico, for instance, are known to pay substantial sums to individuals to move illicit substances across borders, with financial incentives often overriding legal consequences for some. The allure of rapid, high-value financial gain is a powerful motivator, even when facing severe penalties.
As **Auina-Anae** begins his prison sentence, the case serves as a stark reminder of the severe consequences for those acting as ‘doors’ for international drug syndicates. The incentive of large profits is often outweighed by the risk of lengthy incarceration.
