A major police operation has uncovered an alleged drug syndicate that imported millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine from Colombia.
Eight people, including two dairy workers from rural Canterbury, have been arrested as part of the National Organised Crime Group and Customs operation, believed to be one of New Zealand’s biggest cocaine busts.
It’s understood dozens of kilograms of cocaine had allegedly been imported into the country. One kilogram of cocaine is worth as much as $180,000 in New Zealand, compared to about $2200 in Colombia.
Police are expected to reveal more details about the bust at a press conference in Christchurch on Thursday.
A police spokeswoman confirmed on Wednesday that officers had searched several properties across Canterbury. No further information was available for “operational reasons”.
Two dairy workers, a 34-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman from rural Canterbury, appeared in the Christchurch District Court on Wednesday, with six others expected to appear on Thursday.
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The 34-year-old man is charged with being a member of an organised criminal group involved with importing the class A drug cocaine. He is charged with conspiring “with persons unknown in Colombia” to import cocaine, seven charges of importing or attempting to import cocaine, and four counts of money laundering.
The alleged offending happened over much of this year, and the organised criminal group charge alleges involvement over four years. The money laundering offences, totalling $605,000 are said to have happened in Christchurch, Rolleston, and Auckland.
The man was remanded in custody without plea to December 1 at the request of defence counsel Nick Rout, who said a bail application was “unrealistic at first appearance”.
Judge Tony Couch granted Rout’s request for interim name suppression until November 19, to allow members of the man’s family to be told of his arrest.
The woman, Ruth Yanid Ramirez Alfonso, is charged with participating in an organised criminal group involved in importing the class A drug methamphetamine and six charges of importing or attempting to import cocaine. The charges against her allege offending over four years from January 1, 2018.
Alfonso was granted bail when police did not oppose her release. Defence counsel Thomas Harre asked for her remand on bail to the same date as the man, December 1.
The police prosecutor told Judge Couch that six more people had been charged and would appear in court on Thursday.
New Zealand’s biggest seizure of cocaine happened in 2017 when 46kg of the drug, then with a street value of about $20 million, was seized in a dawn raid in Tauranga.
Four members of the international drugs syndicate – including a Serbian, a Croat and two Australians – were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 14 to 27 years.
Their plot involved submersible scooters, gym bags stuffed with cash, and the use of container ships as unwitting drug mules.
In 2016, Customs uncovered 35kg of cocaine stashed inside a 400kg diamante-encrusted horse sculpture. The largest cocaine bust In New Zealand before that was 6kg.
