Operation Bask: Three Auckland residents arrested after largest cocaine haul in New Zealand history

Detective Inspector Tom Gollan of the National Organised Crime Group (NOCG) said the ship had travelled from Ecuador via Panama with a container full of products loaded with cocaine, in a method known as “piggybacking”.

“Piggybacking involves loading controlled drugs into a container with a legal product in an attempt to evade law enforcement,” Gollan said.

He added that in this case, however, the cocaine was discovered very quickly and seized by customs, after which an investigation was launched.

It was estimated that the cocaine had a street value today of $253.75 million. It was equivalent to 7,250,000 individual doses of cocaine.

It remains the largest cocaine shipment ever to arrive in New Zealand and is estimated to cause $270.85 million in community damage if it went undetected.

Police said a “breakthrough in the investigation” had recently been made, resulting in the three arrests last week.

The suspects have also been charged with the importation of a further 30kg of cocaine, which arrived at the Port of Tauranga on December 31, 2021, again from Balboa, Panama.

The 30kg shipment was equivalent to 300,000 individual doses and had a street value of $10.5 million.

Nigel Barnes, acting research manager at Customs, said global intelligence networks and well-developed targeting methods were essential to identify and stop such smuggling attempts.

“We had already identified the South American shipment as a potential risk before it arrived in Tauranga and that turned out to be the case, resulting in the record seizure of cocaine that we made.

“This joint operation has also provided the police and customs with more intelligence and insights, which clearly continue to yield results.

“These arrests demonstrate the tenacity and determination of NOCG detectives and customs officers in disrupting the drug supply chain,” Barnes said.

Police said they are committed to seeing less drugs on the streets and ultimately spending less money on “those who intimidate and cause violence within our communities.”

“Police will continue to target those supplying drugs to our vulnerable communities, but we cannot do it alone,” Gollan said.

“If you see any illegal or suspicious activity, please report it online now or call 105.”