A man from Sydney’s south has been arrested after about 190 kilograms of cocaine were found in a shipment of bananas that was seized in New Zealand.
The bust comes after an investigation into an Australian-based organised crime group identified a potential shipment of illicit drugs that left Balboa, Panama, on August 4.
The vessel arrived in Auckland on August 20, the Australian Federal Police said.
New Zealand Customs and New Zealand Police found in it a container carrying banana boxes. Among the boxes the authorities allegedly uncovered five duffel bags containing a total of 190 blocks of cocaine. Each block weighed about a kilogram and was wrapped in packaging tape, making it New Zealand’s largest cocaine bust.
Further forensic testing will determine the exact weight and purity of the cocaine.
The cocaine, destined for distribution in Australia, was replaced with an inert substance and Australian and New Zealand agencies began a controlled delivery.
On Wednesday, federal police officers conducted search warrants in the Sydney suburbs of Alfords Point and Wiley Park.
A 41-year-old man from Alfords Point was arrested in the Sydney CBD on Thursday after surrendering to police.
Police will allege the man was trying to take possession of approximately 57 kilograms of the material that had been substituted for the cocaine.
He was charged with one count of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely cocaine.
The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment, the federal police said.
The man has appeared before Sydney Central Local Court and is scheduled to reappear on January 16 next year.
Federal police acting Commander Kirsty Schofield, State Manager NSW, said the success of the investigation was an example of the force using its partnerships to combat international drug syndicates attempting to bring harmful substances into “our communities”.
“We will continue to work closely with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to combat transnational crime and bring charges against those in this evil trade,” she said.
“This investigation demonstrates the power of intelligence sharing and inter-agency co-operation in striking at the heart of globally connected criminal syndicates impacting Australia.”
Detective Inspector Paul Newman from the New Zealand National Organised Crime Group said this was an extremely significant seizure for both New Zealand and Australia.
Both countries were recognised as “lucrative markets” for the illicit drug trade, he said.
“This operation has once again shown our dedication to disrupting organised crime and reducing the devastating harm that drugs cause in our community,” he said.
