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Police have seized 36 kilograms of cocaine after it was discovered stashed inside a shipping container delivered to an Auckland business this afternoon.
An investigation is now underway to identify the criminal syndicate behind the importation.
Detective Senior Sergeant Jason Hunt, from the National Organised Crime Group, says the drugs were found by unsuspecting workers unloading legitimate goods from Brazil.
“Staff working at the Auckland premises were going about unloading legitimate goods shipped from Brazil when the cocaine was discovered,” he says. “It was in bags on top of the legitimate product in the container.”
Police were contacted immediately, and detectives from the National Organised Crime Group seized 36 kilograms of cocaine, with an estimated street value of around $12.6 million.
“This is a prime example of a ‘rip-on’ or ‘rip-off’ importation to try and sneak drugs into New Zealand,” Hunt says.
“It’s a common method used by criminal groups where they exploit the bona fide details of a legitimate company’s import.”
Police enquiries are in the early stages, and New Zealand Police will work with overseas law enforcement agencies as part of the investigation.
A police spokesperson told the Franklin Times “for operational reasons we aren’t able to narrow down the suburb further” due to the early stages of the investigation.
“I acknowledge the staff for doing the right thing, and it’s great to have this product seized before it reached New Zealand communities,” Hunt says.
“For context, removing this amount of cocaine from the market may have prevented up to $13 million worth of social harm to the country.”
