Police seized a 250‑kilogram haul of cocaine that had been concealed in ten duffel bags inside a shipping container from Brazil that arrived at the Port of Tauranga, New Zealand, and was transported to Auckland under customs monitoring, a police statement released on Friday confirmed.
According to the statement, the five men were arrested early on Thursday: three who allegedly tried to strip the cocaine out of the container and load it onto a van, a fourth believed to have acted as a lookout near the container, and a fifth who was seized during the subsequent searches. The group has been charged with possession of cocaine for supply, possession of firearms and participation in an organised criminal group. Investigators executed six search warrants across Auckland, locating four high‑powered firearms at one address and apprehending another suspect.
The 250 kg seizure, valued at an estimated street price of 80 million NZ dollars (about 45 million U.S. dollars), follows a previous operation that snatched 137 kg of cocaine in the Auckland region on Tuesday, marking the second major takedown in the country this week.
