I’ve never seen anything like it there. New Zealand police said they caught a total of 3.2 tons of cocaine floating in Pacific waters in one of the largest drug seizures in the country’s history. The black market value of the loot, which allegedly came from South America and was destined for Australia, is estimated at over $500 million (US$316 million or €294 million). “There is no doubt that this discovery is a financial blow to everyone, from South American manufacturers to distributors of this product,” said Andrew Coster, New Zealand Police Commissioner.
New Zealand officials, who for obvious reasons did not provide further details or coordinates on where they found the drug shipment, said they had shipped 81 bales of drugs to New Zealand on a navy ship and would ship it later. destroy them The operation known as Hydros, which began in December 2022 and involved customs officials and the New Zealand military, has no arrests.
Police said they had seized enough cocaine to supply New Zealand for 30 years. The trophy, containing 81 bales of cocaine, weighed 3.2 tons and had a market value of approximately $316 million, Commissioner Andrew Coster told reporters. “This is the largest illicit drug discovery made by New Zealand agencies on an ad hoc basis,” he explained.
Authorities believe the drugs were dumped at a “floating crossing point” in the Pacific Ocean, where they would then be picked up and taken to Australia. A police photograph shows the large loot tied to nets and covered with yellow buoys. Some of the bales had the Batman symbol on them, and the cocaine packets inside were labeled with a four-leaf clover. “We believe it was designed for Australia where one year would be enough to serve the market,” said Coster. “That’s more than New Zealand will use in 30 years.”
A boat spotted the strange formation floating hundreds of kilometers northwest of New Zealand. There is no doubt that this discovery deals a serious financial blow to the South American manufacturers and distributors of this product. However, it is not possible to say from which foreign country the drug came from. Investigations are just beginning.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
