Police have charged Auckland businessman Qin “Kevin” Ding with money laundering tied to an earlier seizure of 515kg of methamphetamine. Ding, 42, along with Zirui Wu and Huan “Lily” Li, is accused of carrying out a transaction involving $76,000 that they allegedly knew was the proceeds of crime. The charge is under section 243(2) of the Crimes Act, carrying a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment. Police say the laundering link traces back to an October 2024 importation of the meth hidden in steel beams. Customs and police carried out a joint investigation, Operation Girder, after x-ray and inspection work found inconsistencies in the shipment from the United States. The consignment was traced to a rural Waikato address, where a raid followed and five men later appeared in court on drug import and supply charges. In the money-laundering case, police allege Li built a scheme in Auckland over four years using layers of transactions to make funds harder to trace. The process allegedly involved a shell company, cash exchanges arranged through requests sent via WeChat, and the use of bank accounts, cryptocurrency conversion, and digital wallets including WeChat Pay and AliPay. Police say the alleged cash handover happened on March 3, 2026. Ding was directed by Li to meet Wu at an address on New North Road in Auckland, where he was provided with $76,000 to launder. Ding told police he deposited the money into his bank accounts and used it for “legitimate payments”, saying the cash was part of a currency exchange. Li is believed to have been living overseas and could not be located. Ding is charged and the matter is now before the courts, with police saying their investigation involved extensive financial analysis of banking transactions, company records, property holdings, and other interests connected to those allegedly involved.