Figures released to the Otago Daily Times under the Official Information Act reveal the New Zealand Customs Service intercepted more than 100 items at southern borders for the year ending October.
Tobacco and cigarettes led the way with 24 seizures, followed by drug paraphernalia with 14 and a dozen seizures of non-firearm weapons such as knuckle-dusters, daggers and a ninja spike set.
The majority of the 104 items were intercepted at Dunedin International Airport, which accounted for 61 seizures, followed by QueenstownAirport with 32 interceptions.
Four items seized infringed controls set by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, with the products containing snake/scorpion, tortoise, ginseng and Aucklandia lappa - a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Five items, largely counterfeit Xbox and Wii games, were also seized, as were five firearms.
Customs employed 50 officers in the southern region, with 28 based in Dunedin, two in Invercargill and 20 part-time staff in Queenstown.
Customs spokesman Rowan McArthur said staff used a combination of techniques, including profiling, to intercept goods at the border.
Intercepted goods were either destroyed, sent back to their country of origin or sold at auction, he said.
A major focus for the service had been pseudoephedrine, with more than a tonne seized so far this year.
