New Zealand Customs says that during a routine inspection operation of high-risk vessels and shipments at the Port of Tauranga, has found approximately 35 kilograms of cocaine.
The Customs officers found the cocaine hidden in the engine compartment of a refrigerated shipping container loaded with bananas, which arrived at the port from Panama on November 9.
It is estimated this latest seizure could have produced approximately 350,000 individual doses worth a total estimated street value of up to NZ$15.7 million (about US$ 9,42 million).
The New Zealand Customs says that this seizure comes two weeks after 140 kilograms of cocaine was seized from a shipping container at the Port of Auckland.
That joint Customs and Police investigation uncovered a sophisticated organised crime smuggling operation and led to four arrests.
