New Zealand authorities found a massive haul of cocaine, roughly 3.5 tons, worth about $300 million, floating in the Pacific Ocean.
A statement by the country's police released on Wednesday noted that the cocaine they found is enough to service the New Zealand market for the next three decades. Officials are now bringing the substance onboard the royal navy vessel HMNZS Manawanui back to the mainland.
Massive Haul of Cocaine
Authorities also said that once the cocaine is returned, it will be destroyed. No arrests have been made in relation to the discovered substance. The commissioner of the New Zealand police, Andrew Coster, spoke during a media conference on Wednesday, saying that the amount of cocaine would be enough to supply the Australian market for a year.
The official added that given the size of the substance, it would have most likely been going to the Australian market. The media team of the New Zealand Police also shared official photos of the discovery. The images show that some packages were tagged with identifiable stickers, such as a four-leaf clover and one with a Batman logo, as per Business Insider.
It remains unclear why the packages of cocaine were labeled with such logos. New Zealand authorities conducted the cocaine interception known as "Operation Hydros" in December 2022 as a joint operation between New Zealand police, customs, and the defense force.
New Zealand police and customs in March 2022 made one of the nation's largest drug busts when they intercepted methamphetamine weighing roughly 613 kilograms that were arriving at Auckland Airport.
Coster also said that there was no doubt that the seizure of the 3.2 tons of cocaine landed a significant financial blow from the South American producers through to the distributors of the product. He added that the latest discovery is one of the single biggest seizures of illegal drugs in New Zealand.
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Illegal Drug Trade
According to USA Today, officials noted that smugglers left the drugs at a floating drop point, and authorities will continue to investigate the case and monitor "suspicious" vessels in collaboration with international law enforcement partners.
The seizure comes as last year, Australian police seized nearly two tons of methamphetamine, considered the largest drug bust in the country's history. Officials discovered 1,800 kilograms of the substance inside shipping containers at a Sydney port. They were concealed in marble and were estimated to have a street value of more than $1.1 billion.
Authorities charged three men over the alleged involvement in the importation of drugs that came from the Middle East. Officials added that the suspects were part of a broader syndicate with international links.
In a statement, New South Wales Police said that the smuggling group was "sophisticated." However, they said officers could not believe their "audacity" in trying to import such a large amount of drugs while avoiding detection. Det. Chief Supt. John Watson noted that the numbers in the case were "staggering," said BBC.
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