Police have revealed New Zealand's largest ever known cocaine import was discovered hidden in a banana shipment in August.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) and Australian Federal Police (AFP) investigation into an Australian-based organised crime group identified a drug shipment that left Panama on August 4.
Two weeks later, New Zealand Police and Customs inspected a container that arrived in Auckland from Panama carrying bananas.
Five duffel bags, containing 190 blocks of cocaine each weighing around a kilogram, were discovered sitting on top of the bananas.
NZ Police notified the AFP and ACIC and a joint investigation ended in a 41-year-old being arrested in Sydney in the last 24 hours.
Detective Inspector Paul Newman from the New Zealand National Organised Crime Group said the seizure was significant for Australia and New Zealand, as both countries are targets of the drug trade.
"The cooperation of both law enforcement and intelligence groups during this investigation has been central to its success in targeting transnational crime," he said.
Newshub.
