New Zealand Police have laid 347 criminal charges against 43 gang associates, alleged to be part of a sophisticated criminal syndicate smuggling illicit drugs into the country aboard international flights.
Police and Customs have also seized 630 kilogrammes of methamphetamine with a street value of NZ$220.8 million (US$126.35 million), alongside 112 kilogrammes of cocaine worth $50.4 million, and around $800,000 in cash.
Authorities estimate the drugs would have caused around $733 million in social harm had they not been intercepted.
The arrests are the result of a long and complex joint investigation into a syndicate allegedly smuggling class A drugs through unattended baggage, primarily through Auckland Airport.
Class A drugs are New Zealand’s highest-risk category and include substances such as methamphetamine and cocaine….
347 Charges Laid in Major New Zealand Drugs Sweep
