Drugs Being Mailed to Empty NZ Vacation Homes

Unoccupied holiday homes in southern New Zealand may not currently have any residents, but they've been getting mail anyway. Specifically, drugs. Authorities are warning that meth and other drugs have been showing up in mailboxes at such homes in Central Otago district, a popular tourist spot known for its vineyards and "adventure sports," the Guardian reports. "With the rise in popularity of methamphetamine and the ease of ordering drugs off the internet we have seen a sharp rise in people dealing hard drugs such as P [methamphetamine], MDMA, ecstasy, and LSD, says a local sergeant, noting that hard drug crimes in the region have increased 100-fold over the past five years.

The owners of the homes are not suspected of having anything to do with the deliveries. Residents are being asked to call authorities if they notice anyone checking the mail at an unoccupied house, Radio New Zealand reports. At least two locals have been charged with importing and selling drugs, including one man who allegedly imported $200,000 worth of ecstasy and sent it to unoccuppied vacation homes in the area. (More weird crimes stories.)