On Friday, New Zealand police seized 250 kg of cocaine worth about 45 million U.S. dollars in a joint operation with customs, intercepting a shipment that had come from Brazil.
The drug was hidden in 10 duffel bags inside a shipping container that entered New Zealand through Port of Tauranga and was later moved to Auckland under close monitoring by authorities.
Five men, aged between 29 and 41, were arrested in the early hours of Thursday. Three tried to move the cocaine into a van, while a fourth was believed to have acted as a lookout and was detained nearby.
Following the arrests, investigators executed six search warrants across Auckland. They located four high‑powered firearms at one address and arrested a fifth man, who now faces charges of possession of cocaine for supply, possession of firearms and participation in an organized criminal group.
This bust comes after police seized 137 kg of cocaine earlier in the week in the Auckland region, marking the second major seizure in just seven days.
