More than $300 million worth of cocaine has been found floating in a net in the Pacific Ocean.
New Zealand police said on Wednesday that the discovery of the 3.2 tonnes of drugs, believed to have been destined for Australia, has dealt a “significant blow to the operation of an international criminal syndicate”.
“There is no question that this discovery deals a major financial blow from the South American producers to the distributors of this product,” Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said in a statement.
TEXAS COUPLE CHARGED IN FENTANYL RING THAT LEADS TO 3 TEEN OVERDOSE DEATHS: POLICE
Bags of cocaine, said to have been recovered by New Zealand Police, Customs and Defense Force at sea, are seen in a net floating in the Pacific Ocean, in this undated photo released on February 8, 2023. . (Reuters/New Zealand Police)
He described the loot as “one of the largest seizures of illegal drugs by authorities in this country.”
OREGON LEGISLATORS CONSIDER CUTTING MILLIONS OF ADDICTION SERVICES AFTER DECRIMINALIZING DRUGS
Bricks of cocaine recovered by New Zealand authorities. (New Zealand Police/Reuters)
Authorities say 81 bales of cocaine, estimated by Reuters to be worth around $320 million, have been returned to New Zealand where they will be destroyed.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
A New Zealand official stacks bricks of cocaine after the discovery.
No arrests have yet been made, but the investigation is ongoing.
“It is a great example of how far organized crime will go with their global drug trafficking operations and shows that we are not exempt from major organized crime drug smuggling efforts in this part of the world,” said the Service’s acting controller. New Zealand Customs, Bill Perry. he said in a statement.
