Number of meth pipes, bongs seized by Customs soars
New Zealand Customs has reported a massive surge in the seizure of meth pipes and cannabis bongs at the border. Despite a 2014 ban, these items remain widely available in retail stores across the country.
Why it matters
The report highlights the challenges of border enforcement and the ongoing public health debate regarding drug paraphernalia regulation.
The number of meth pipes and cannabis bongs confiscated at the border is soaring.
New Customs figures show importers are trying to bring a soaring number of meth pipes and cannabis bongs into the country, despite a law banning the sale or importation of drug utensils.
Over the first seven months of this year, Customs seized just under 40,000 pipes and bongs at the border – more than the 37,000 seized during all of last year and a massive 25 times more than 2024.
Earlier this year, RNZ visited vape stores, Two-Dollar shops and dairies in two Far North towns, and found about two-thirds openly sold glass pipes for smoking the class A drug methamphetamine, also known as meth or P.
Most shops had no age restrictions in place and some displayed the pipes on store counters, next to children’s novelty items.
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