WELLINGTON: Police have landed New Zealand’s biggest ever cocaine bust – uncovered $14 million worth of the Class A drug. A joint Customs and Police investigation revealed 35 bricks of high-grade cocaine. In early May, Customs officers focussed on a 400 kg sculpture of a diamante-encrusted horse, which had been freighted into the country from Mexico. Their suspicions were confirmed when inside the horses head was the huge find.
A subsequent joint investigation has today resulted in the arrest of three men with the smuggling attempt. Officers from the Police Organised Crime team arrested two men last night at Auckland International Airport and a search warrant is being carried out this morning at a residential address in Te Atatu.
The men, a 44 year-old Mexican national and a 56 year-old US national have been charged with the following and will appear in the Manukau District Court this morning.
They are charged with importing a Class A drug, namely cocaine, and possession for supply of a class A drug, namely cocaine.
Officers from Christchurch Police are also carrying search warrants at two residential address in Worcester St, Linwood, and two men and a woman are speaking with Police. Importing the class A drug cocaine is punishable by life imprisonment.
“This is obviously an extremely large amount of cocaine, and in the past we’ve only found very small amounts of this drug,” Detective Senior Sergeant Colin Parmenter, Officer in Charge, Organised Crime Auckland said.
