An attempted break-in at the Port of Tauranga led to Customs officers seizing $12 million worth of cocaine and arresting three people.
Last weekend, police were called to the port after security staff had found signs of an attempted break-in.
Following an investigation, three people were arrested, and customs searched 36 shipping containers in Tauranga and Auckaland, destined for "various parts of New Zealand".
During the searches, Customs officers found 26 kilograms of cocaine, which they say could have produced 260,000 doses of the drug. The seizure had an estimated street value of $12 million.
The Drug Harm Index says the shipment would have caused $8 million worth of social harm.
Customs Group Manager Maritime, Paul Campbell, said he was thankful that police and Customs stopped the drugs from entering the country.
“A significant quantity of cocaine has been stopped from ending up in our communities. This result is thanks to close collaboration with our partners.
"Police were outstanding in their support, and the Port of Tauranga security team maintained their tradition of vigilance by alerting authorities straight away,” Campbell said.
Leonard Sampson, Port of Tauranga chief executive, thanked authorities for their quick response.
“Port Security did an outstanding job in identifying suspicious activity on the port boundary, and I thank our team for their ongoing vigilance,” he said.
In a statement, Campbell said Customs was seeing an "increase" in drugs being imported into New Zealand, "particularly via shipping channels".
"We remain alert to trends and use our network of intelligence and investigative resources to identify, target and stop such criminal activities,” Campbell said.
"Police are committed to disrupting organised criminal groups and the supply and distribution of illicit drugs in our communities,” Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Ambler said.
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