A dangerous and addictive drug with a street value of up to $60,000 was seized from addresses in Dunedin and South Otago yesterday.
Southern Police and the New Zealand Customs Service executed search warrants at properties in Dunedin and Balclutha, where half a kilogram of pentedrone was recovered.
Detective Senior Sergeant Malcolm Inglis, of Dunedin CIB, said a 28-year-old patched gang member from Dunedin, and a 42-year-old Balclutha woman were arrested.
The pair would appear in the Dunedin District Court on charges of importing the Class C drug.
Two parcels were sourced from China and arrived in the country through the Auckland Mail Centre. They were ''flagged'' by Customs before then and tracked to southern addresses.
Pentedrone was destined for sale in Dunedin and Balclutha.
Despite the drug not being ''widely used, it is making its presence felt around New Zealand''.
The analogue drug was similar to MDMA (ecstasy), and was ''another dangerous product, with people trying to make quick money''.
''They don't care who they sell it to and again, it is an addictive substance,'' Det Snr Sgt Inglis said.
