French police

Officers say they caught a businessman unloading the masks from a lorry into a house in St Denis, north of Paris.

Last month, France requisitioned all stocks and production of face masks to equip health workers.

Meanwhile in China, the authorities have confiscated 89m poor quality face masks. The country has faced criticism over poor quality exports.

Officials had inspected nearly 16 million businesses and had also seized large quantities of ineffective disinfectant, government official Gan Lin said.

The six players are all with France's Grenoble club. French media reports said the New Zealanders were former Sevens and Waikato player Rory Grice and former Marlbrough player Dylan Hayes.

Grenoble newspaper Le Dauphine Libere said it had spoken to Grice's layer, Philip Fitzgerald, who said Grice was "anxious to answer police questions about the case". He reminded the newspaper to remember the presumption of innocence.

Mr Fitzgerald said Grice remained in custody.

Hayes had left the police station, according to this lawyer, the newspaper said.