A Brazilian man who pleaded guilty to importing over $750,000 worth of cocaine in wooden ornaments has been sentenced to prison term of seven years and eight months at the Manukau District Court.
Victor Da Cunha Bastos Filho was arrested and charged by customs following a baggage check in August last year at Auckland Airport.
The 46-year-old was on a stopover from Chile en-route to Cambodia.
A search found that seven wooden art ornaments concealed 1.7 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of $771,000.
Filho said he had purchased the ornaments at a Lima street market and they were going to be a gift for his wife when he returned to Brazil.
Customs Manager Passenger Operations at Auckland Airport, Peter Lewis, says the sentence is a message to smugglers.
"This should send a strong message to those who think they can get away with smuggling into New Zealand."
"Because this man has decided to take the risk, he now faces a lengthy jail term a long way from home, and a criminal conviction with his ability to travel internationally severely affected in the future."
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