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Border Patrol Season 15 Episode 7
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00:00countries, drugs, illegal immigrants, do you want to tell me the truth, pests, it looks like it's a
00:05type of huntsman, and disease, we have another live insect, but the nation's protectors are ever
00:10vigilant. Customs, immigration and biosecurity officers work day and night to keep us safe.
00:17If we declared it, there would be no issue. The front line of defence, New Zealand's Border Patrol.
00:33This time on Border Patrol. We would like to recreate ourselves. Immigration speak to two
00:39Hungarian travellers with few plans. Clean our minds and bodies. But are they really as clean
00:44as they claim? There was some positive iron swabs on their banks. There's something wrong on the
00:49inside. A cushy concealment has customs officers tracking a serial smuggler. We know that there's
00:55at least two more consignments, so three in total. Then, that's a big one. Super-sized souvenirs
01:01under the spotlight at biosecurity. Looks like a wooden weapon. And customs find not a silver
01:08lining, but a red and gold one. Cigarettes? Yes.
01:21Today at Immigration New Zealand, senior border officers Johar and James are preparing to
01:26interview two Hungarian nationals who've arrived from Budapest for a two-week holiday. Several
01:31details of the men's story has put the officers on alert.
01:36They've just left New Zealand in December after spending a good two to three months. And coming
01:42from Hungary and spending three months and then coming back again after a couple of months
01:47is a bit unusual.
01:49There was also a concerning discovery made during the men's interaction with customs.
01:53There were some positive iron swabs on their bags, ketamine and cocaine.
01:59A full search of their luggage was conducted with no drugs found. So now the officers need
02:04to speak with the men to clarify their intentions while in New Zealand.
02:08Tell me about all the reasons why you've come to New Zealand today.
02:13Honestly, we had a great time last year. We would like to recreate ourselves, relax, train
02:19a bit, clean our minds and bodies.
02:23Alright, so you've come here for two weeks. Relax, train, clean your minds, clean your bodies.
02:29So tell me about what your plans are for the next two weeks.
02:31We don't have any specific plan, to be honest, but we plan to go to Rotorua. Otherwise, we
02:37really just want to enjoy the city. Go to the hiking points. It's mostly for my friend.
02:43He's the hiker?
02:44Yeah, he's. I like it, but without him I wouldn't go for sure.
02:49In another interview room, Senior Border Officer Johar speaks with the man's travelling companion
02:54in an effort to corroborate the pair's travelling plans.
02:57I've noted that you have not booked any tickets to Wellington, nor to Rotorua.
03:04Your entire accommodation is booked at one place in Auckland City.
03:09Can you show me your outward ticket details?
03:15Okay, so you're going to fly from Auckland to Sunshine Coast.
03:20We plan to go to Brisbane to see the zoo there.
03:24James needs to establish the man's ability to fund his stay while in New Zealand.
03:28We have about, in total, like 8,000 euros. Most of our money is on my friend's account.
03:35So I'll just confirm, that's in a joint bank account for you and your travelling companion
03:40to share together.
03:41It's not, it's his bank account.
03:43Oh, it's his, it's his bank account.
03:45But my money is also his bank account.
03:49You were unable to show me any proof of your employment now.
03:55I don't, I don't work in here. I'm a holiday.
03:59Yeah.
03:59Johar and James head back to the immigration office to discuss what they've learned.
04:05I can't verify the employment.
04:08The fact is that you can't tell me any specifics.
04:13Yeah.
04:14Apart from the fact that you're going to play by the air.
04:17Probably the most concerning thing at this stage for me is the fact that they
04:20tried to check in at Shanghai to come to Auckland with no ticket to leave New Zealand.
04:26So they purchased this ticket to the Sunshine Coast.
04:31One of the cheapest they could find.
04:33Yeah, yeah, I don't think it's going to go to the Sunshine Coast.
04:35I think they've come here for reasons we're going to find out about.
04:43At Auckland's air cargo inspection facility, customs officers have singled out a package
04:47for the wrong reasons.
04:49It's got similarities to other consignments that we've had that have had what we've found
04:53to be pseudoephygene tablets within the package, so we just need to put it through the x-ray
04:58and have a look.
04:59Let's go.
05:00An x-ray will give customs officers Bethan and Cam a better idea if the package really
05:04is what it says on the label.
05:07On the declaration, it states that it should be a plasticine pillow.
05:11You can see here the outline of the pillow casing.
05:16Then we've got this thicker, more dense consignment within.
05:20You can see it's more tablet formed, so let's have a look inside.
05:26So when you open it up, straight away we see what should be the pillow and a blanket.
05:33There's obviously something more to that pillow.
05:35You can feel there's something wrong on the inside.
05:38It's very light up here, but very dense down the bottom of the pillow.
05:41The design says soft and cuddly, but the weight and feel says hello contraband.
05:46We're definitely suspicious that there's something a little bit more sinister in here.
05:56Yep, you can take your handbag and come and sit here, please.
06:00This morning, customs officer Hannah is talking to a Chinese national
06:03after an x-ray at biosecurity revealed a concealment in her luggage.
06:08Have you bought cigarettes?
06:09Cigarettes?
06:12Yes.
06:13Hannah wants to know why the passenger didn't declare the cigarettes when she did declare food.
06:18You've filled all of this out.
06:19You've ticked yes here, but for the tobacco, you have ticked
06:23that you do not have any tobacco.
06:27No.
06:28You don't know.
06:29The passenger's English is limited.
06:31The arrival of a translator means Hannah can get closer to the answers she needs.
06:37So she is unsure about how many cigarettes she has.
06:39So the cigarette is a gift from a friend.
06:42Friend, okay.
06:43She is aware there's a cigarette, but she don't know how many.
06:46We're just going to have a look.
06:47The traveller opens up about the cigarettes,
06:50but stays quiet on why she failed to declare them.
06:52So I can feel that there's cigarettes in here.
06:56So that means that they're concealed, which is an offence.
07:08Can you feel cigarettes in there too?
07:09Okay.
07:11There's cigarettes in this suitcase as well.
07:15Travellers to New Zealand can bring up to 50 cigarettes or 50 grams of tobacco duty-free concession.
07:20Any more must be declared, and duty and GST paid.
07:25Are you happy to ask her why she put the cigarettes in the lining of her suitcase?
07:31She said it's her friend that put it in.
07:34Okay.
07:35The passenger seems happy to put the blame on her friends while taking none of it herself.
07:39So someone gave a cigarette, then another friend hid them in her suitcase.
07:44So according to her, the friend said it's more convenient to put it back in here,
07:48to put it in there, because she's got none of those secrets in itself to put it on top.
07:54The woman's answers aren't revealing much,
07:56and on closer look at the cigarette packets, something strikes Officer Hannah.
08:01Normally there'd be 10.
08:03The search reveals one packet short of a couple of cartons.
08:06Are there more cigarettes to be found?
08:15Back in the Customs Red Zone, Officer Hannah is searching the luggage of a Chinese national
08:19carrying undeclared cigarettes in the lining of her suitcase.
08:23The passenger is claiming her friend packed them,
08:25and Customs are concerned there may be more.
08:29There's one short of a carton.
08:30Can you just see if she knows where that other packet is?
08:33Definitely not in there.
08:38The final packet is found in the woman's handbag.
08:41Not concealed, but not exactly revealed.
08:44Has she got any more anywhere?
08:48Can you just ask her directly,
08:51did you try to evade Customs paying duty?
09:01I mean, by the looks of it, she's been in and out, yeah, quite a lot of times, but okay.
09:07The passenger is still claiming she didn't understand the declaration,
09:10but a check of immigration records reveal she's travelled into New Zealand enough times to know the regulations.
09:16Hannah runs the woman's story past her supervising officer.
09:20She did not understand the declaration.
09:24It's been lost in translation, and she normally just kind of copies a declaration from other people she knows or
09:32other travellers.
09:33That's her explanation.
09:35The fact that they're concealed shows a little bit of intent.
09:38Because the cigarettes were concealed, and they were not declared, and she's well-travelled, so she will know the rules,
09:46it hasn't worked out very well for her.
09:48The cigarettes were seized, the passenger was given a $400 infringement,
09:52and was required to pay $468 in duty and GST.
09:56So it's going to cost you $800, $900 today.
09:59Okay, bye-bye.
10:08At Christchurch International Airport,
10:11Biosecurity New Zealand officer Kanaal is talking to a solo traveller off a flight from Fiji.
10:16Banana chips.
10:17Yep.
10:18Tarot leaves and...
10:20And coconut cream.
10:21Yeah.
10:22Yeah.
10:22Kike senga.
10:23Oh, okay.
10:24There's like a sweet sauce and flour in that.
10:27Yeah, yeah, yeah.
10:29The woman's favourite foods get the all-clear.
10:31I inspected the foods and everything, that was fine,
10:34and then I asked what's in this box,
10:36and then she said wooden artificial products.
10:40The woman declared her food items not so much these wooden Fijian weapons.
10:44I asked her why you didn't declare this, and she said I totally forgot about this.
10:50Untreated wooden products can pose a biosecurity risk.
10:52It must be declared.
10:54However, the passenger has done her homework when it comes to taking the items out of Fiji.
10:59Oh, have you got phytos for this?
11:00Oh, phytos.
11:01No, you can't take these down the country unless it's been...
11:03I've got it, yeah.
11:04Yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:05E-phytos are certificates issued by the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji
11:09for the international trade of their plants and plant-based products.
11:13All good justice stuff.
11:14So they just need to be inspected, because often they can have insects and stuff in them.
11:17Okay.
11:17So he'll just take them into the lab and inspect them, and if they're all good.
11:20Good to go.
11:20But just remember next time to declare them on your car.
11:23Yeah.
11:23Yeah, under that plant product section.
11:25Sorry about that.
11:26Despite the correct paperwork, Kanaal still has to double-check the items are clear of biosecurity
11:31risks, like bugs, soil or disease.
11:35First up, a chiefly fly swat.
11:37So this is the male from coconut threads.
11:42She said it's for high chief in the culture.
11:46We're just looking here for any insect or any biosecurity risk for us.
11:52So this one is all right.
11:54From fighting flies to fighting foes.
11:57Yeah, it looks like a wooden weapon, but there is no any risk that I can see.
12:05No any hole or insect damage.
12:09These items may be ceremonial, but Kanaal's inspection is all business.
12:14There's a turtle design.
12:17That's a big one.
12:19Like.
12:22Luckily, there are no sign of any biosecurity hitchhikers, and the items get the all clear.
12:27All are looking good, so good to go.
12:32Luckily, we didn't find any insect in there.
12:34And the product got released, and she was happy.
12:38Thank you so much.
12:39No worries.
12:45Back at Immigration New Zealand, two Hungarian friends have been referred for separate questioning
12:51after a swab of their luggage tested positive for narcotics.
13:01Keeping your money in your friend's bank account may not be the usual, but there are a number
13:06of things about this travelling duo that have sparked James and Johar's interest.
13:10New Zealand Customs told me that you had three phones in your possession.
13:15Yes.
13:16I have my main girlfriend, who I live with, but I also have some more.
13:22Some more?
13:23Girlfriends, but side years, you know.
13:25So one phone is like a home phone, let's say, but my girlfriend is there.
13:30Yep.
13:30I have another one from my other girls, and I have a brand new one that's not even used,
13:35but it's to buy a New Zealand and Australia SIM card and have a local phone.
13:40Do you have any other girls in New Zealand?
13:43No.
13:43OK.
13:45So I've just got to ask you a series of questions about what we call character.
13:50Immigration officers will try to build up a picture of a passenger's character based
13:54on personal history to determine how they're likely to behave if let into Aotearoa.
14:01It's kind of like an honesty test, because if we know stuff about a passenger and they
14:06lie about it, then it kind of makes the whole process think, well, why is this person really
14:11coming to New Zealand?
14:13Have you ever been convicted of an offence?
14:17No.
14:19Have you ever been arrested by any authority for any reason?
14:23Yes.
14:24OK.
14:25Tell me about that.
14:27Marijuana possession.
14:29A little mushroom, magic mushroom also, but mostly marijuana.
14:33OK.
14:33Have you been in trouble with the law for any other reason?
14:36I had some small cases also with marijuana, but those were really small, like just one joint
14:43or something.
14:43Ever since I work at the same company, I have a serious job, good salary.
14:48I never do such things ever since.
14:50That's a good one.
14:51The passenger is claiming his days of using narcotics are behind him, but the earliest
14:56swab of his luggage suggests otherwise.
14:59Customs, as part of their process, they do what they call iron swabs.
15:03Yeah, I saw it.
15:04Yeah, I saw it.
15:04And he told me that they found coke and ketamine on me.
15:09I'll be honest with you, coke, I can imagine.
15:11I don't use it personally, but I have friends and girls in my company who do.
15:16But ketamine is very strange for me.
15:19I never did ketamine.
15:21How often would you use coke?
15:23Very rarely.
15:24OK.
15:26When was the last time you...
15:28New Year's Eve.
15:30New Year's Eve.
15:31The man admits to having used cocaine just three months ago, despite earlier claiming
15:35those days were behind him.
15:37James continues the questioning.
15:38What about weed?
15:40When did you last use weed?
15:42One week ago.
15:44I'm a weed-smoking person.
15:46In your home country.
15:48What's the status of marijuana use?
15:52It's not legal.
15:54OK.
15:55It's been determined that marijuana is illegal in his home country, Hungary.
15:59He's been arrested several times for it, thrown out the use of cocaine, and there's
16:04clear evidence that he doesn't sort of follow the laws of his own country.
16:07So how can we, as immigration is going to be satisfied that he's going to follow the
16:11laws of our country?
16:17At the Auckland Air Cargo Inspection Facility, Customs Officers Bethan and Cam are inspecting
16:22a puffy pillow that they suspect might be hiding a lumpy secret.
16:26You can feel there's something wrong on the inside, too.
16:30All right, we'll bring it over here.
16:32So this is just so that we can confirm there are suspicions of pseudo before we extract
16:37it.
16:40Bethan is used to extracting all sorts of complicated concealments, but not today.
16:44You can see here we've got some small tablets.
16:47They've literally just tipped it all in.
16:52So this is the first offender.
16:54So now that it's finished its test, we just wait for the results and it will show us what
16:58the substance of the tablet is if it's within its database.
17:03So there we go.
17:04So we've got a result for pseudoephedrine.
17:06Now that we know what it is, we can go forward with the extraction.
17:13Pseudoephedrine is a precursor in the manufacturing of a Class A drug, methamphetamine.
17:23It's looking like a bad night's sleep for the exporters of this pillow.
17:27So now we're cooking with tariffs.
17:29There you go.
17:31All right, can you see any?
17:33All right, pretty confident.
17:34Cool.
17:35Now, if you pick that up, that's definitely not two kilos worth.
17:38Sort of.
17:39Pillow should feel like.
17:40The stuffing's out.
17:42Time to see just how much was packed inside.
17:44So we've got 1.84 kgs of pseudoephedrine tablets.
17:51This consignment had a street value of $128,000.
17:55We know that there's at least two more consignments, so three in total.
17:58And it's a really good result for today because we've been able to take nearly 5 kgs or over
18:025 kgs worth of pseudoephedrine off the streets.
18:05Information was recorded for Customs Intelligence.
18:07All drugs and contaminated products were destroyed.
18:15Back at Immigration New Zealand, senior border officers James and Johar are questioning two
18:21Hungarian travellers whose luggage returned a positive ion swab result.
18:25I told your colleagues also that sometimes I happen to smoke weed.
18:30How often would you use coke?
18:31Very rarely.
18:32Once or twice a year.
18:34Once or twice a year.
18:35What I'll do is I'll have a discussion with my colleagues.
18:37I'll come back and I'll let you know what Immigration New Zealand has decided, all right?
18:52James lays out the facts in a peer review with other officers.
18:58He was caught using marijuana.
19:00He was also caught with marijuana back in 2012 and then in 2015.
19:04And then to top it off, he also uses cocaine.
19:06Senior officer Johar has also found several points of contention during his interview with
19:11the other Hungarian passenger.
19:12I haven't been able to verify some of the records of employment.
19:16Their plans in New Zealand seems a bit weak.
19:19At this stage, it doesn't really seem that they are a general visitor to New Zealand.
19:25Do you know how I see it?
19:30Party boys using drugs with extras were yet to discover.
19:34And the extras are probably going to be in relation to criminal activity.
19:39If you throw all these things in, and the fact that he didn't even have a ticket to leave
19:42New Zealand, and he was made to purchase one en route by us, just doesn't make sense.
19:47So I think I'm going to put these concerns to him now and just see what he has to say
19:51about them.
19:55Given the fact that you've been here before, and you're here for two weeks, we'd expect you
20:00to know what you want to do here as a tourist.
20:04Today you've told me that you want to go hiking, even though you don't like hiking, because
20:08your friend likes hiking.
20:10You want to go to the gym, because your friend goes to the gym.
20:13And you've traveled a long way from Hungary to come for reasons that don't add up.
20:20I really just came here to enjoy myself, to build myself, to become a better man, not
20:27do stupid things.
20:29But the man's protests are too little, too late.
20:31I'll be able to let you know that Immigration New Zealand has made a decision.
20:36We would consider the likelihood of you using narcotics in New Zealand to be extremely high.
20:42Immigration New Zealand is not satisfied that you're a genuine visitor to New Zealand.
20:47Therefore, we have no option but to refuse the entry permission.
20:53The Hungarian nationals' plan to clear his mind and body will have to wait.
20:57But my friend is coming also, he stays.
21:00I'm not happy that you are generally visited to New Zealand, and therefore my decision is
21:06to refuse entry today.
21:08It's a tough pill for these passengers to swallow, but one of them, at least, is already moving
21:12on.
21:13There's no chance I come back here again.
21:15I have enough countries where they are happy for me to spend my money.
21:22So the passenger and his travelling companion have been refused entry into New Zealand today.
21:26We'll make arrangements for them to go back to Budapest on the next available flight, and
21:30I wish them best luck.
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