A load of this size would supply the New Zealand market for 30 years
A shipment of 3.1 tonnes of cocaine, enough to supply the whole of Australia for a year, floated across the Pacific.
Oversized packages of 81 balls of the substance floated at sea wrapped in packages with… the Batman logo and four-leaf clovers.
NEWS 📢 We were pleased to assist Government agencies in disrupting an international criminal syndicate’s operation after intercepting 3.2 tonnes of cocaine afloat in the Pacific Ocean. The recovery has a wholesale value of more than $500 million.
➡️ https://t.co/KCgpjiq66z pic.twitter.com/HaENQed9rT
— NZ Defense Force (@NZDefenceForce) February 8, 2023
New Zealand’s navy collected the packages, miles off the country’s northwest coast, in a joint joint mission between police, customs and the New Zealand Armed Forces.
The country is even talking about the biggest find in the context of police operations that has ever been made.
Australian authorities are “extremely pleased that we have taken this step,” said Greg Williams, head of the New Zealand Police’s National Organized Crime Unit.
The packages were transported to New Zealand by the Royal New Zealand Navy ship HMNZS Manawanui and will be destroyed.
New Zealand Police Commissioner Andrew Koster said that given the sheer size of the shipment, it was likely intended for the Australian market.
“A load of that size would supply the New Zealand market for 30 years,” he said.
The seizure deals a serious blow to organized crime but we will “remain vigilant”, especially given where traffickers can go to “avoid attracting the attention of law enforcement”, he added.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
