CNN
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3 tons or more cocaine Things floating at sea were seized by the authorities new zealand One of the largest drag bursts in the country.
Weighs about 81 bales of cocaine 3.2 metric tons (3.5 short tons) were intercepted in the Pacific as part of Operation Hydro, a joint initiative of New Zealand Police, Customs and Defense Forces.
Those behind the police operation valued the haul at over NZ$500 million (about $318 million).
Few details have been released about how and when the discovery was made, but police said Wednesday news release About the haul including some images. Among them are shots of masses of packages levitated by numerous flotation devices.
One of the packages shown has the Batman logo on it, while the other is labeled with a black four-leaf clover.
An International Crime Syndicate is believed to be responsible for the cache, and police believe it was headed for Australia.
“We believe there was enough cocaine to serve the Australian market for about a year, which would be more than New Zealand uses in 30 years,” Police Commissioner Andrew Koster reported. CNN affiliate 9News.
Police said it took a Navy ship six days to return the drugs to New Zealand.
Koster said in a news release:
“This is one of the largest seizures of illegal drugs by authorities in this country. As far as we know, we will remain vigilant.”
Operation Hydros, which began in December, includes monitoring “suspicious” vessel movements and working with international partner agencies, Koster said.
“The importance of this recovery and its impact cannot be underestimated.”
No arrests have been made, but an international investigation is ongoing.
New Zealand Customs Commissioner Bill Perry added: world. ”
