Wellington, Feb. 8, (dpa/GNA) - New Zealand authorities have seized more than three tonnes of cocaine found floating in the Pacific Ocean, the country’s largest ever haul of illegal drugs.
Police commissioner Andrew Coster said the 3.2 tonne find was worth an estimated $500 million New Zealand ($323 million US).
The cocaine had been dropped at a transit point in international waters, six days sailing north-east of New Zealand.
The haul was equivalent to 30 years’ of supply in New Zealand and a years’ worth of supply in Australia, Coster said.
“There is no doubt this discovery lands a major financial blow right from the South American producers through to the distributors of this product,” the commissioner said.
The size of the shipment suggested the drugs were likely destined for Australia, Coster said.
“We know the distribution of any illicit drug causes a great amount of social harm as well as negative health and financial implications for communities, especially drug users and their families.”
No arrests had yet been made and police were working with international partners to further their enquiries, Coster said.
New Zealand Customs Service acting controller Bill Perry said the find was the result of collaboration of Customs with police and the New Zealand Defence Force.
“The sheer scale of this seizure is estimated to have taken more than half a billion dollars’ worth of cocaine out of circulation,” he said.
“It is a huge illustration of what lengths organised crime will go to with their global drug trafficking operations and shows that we are not exempt from major organised criminal drug smuggling efforts in this part of the world,” Perry said.
New Zealand’s previous largest-ever drug bust was in 2022 when 613 kilograms of methamphetamine were seized.
GNA