$320 million worth of strange black net with dangerous content found in mid-Pacific
New Zealand police said at a press conference on Wednesday that they had pulled off one of the biggest drug arrests in recent memory after discovering a large cache of cocaine floating in the Pacific Ocean.
According to New Zealand, during the operation, called Hydros, law enforcement agencies removed 81 bales of drugs. 1 News.
floating cache smuggling was captured in a joint operation by the New Zealand Police, Customs and New Zealand Defense Forces.
The drugs are valued at “half a billion dollars” in retail value. Reuters.
The drugs have since been disposed of by the authorities, but police found some curious symbols on the bales, 1 News reported.
Some have been marked with a four leaf clover, while others have been found with the famous Batman symbol from DC comics.
As one might imagine, New Zealand law enforcement was ecstatic over the stunning crash at sea, saying it was a major victory over the cartels that supply and transport such drugs.
“There is no doubt that this discovery will deal a serious financial blow from the very beginning. South American from manufacturers to distributors of this product,” said Police Commissioner Andrew Coster.
“This is the largest seizure of illegal drugs by the authorities in this country by some margin. While this hinders the work of the syndicate, we remain vigilant given the lengths we know these groups will go to stay out of the eye of law enforcement.”
Are the police winning the war on drugs?
Coster told reporters that the cache, the size of the one captured in the Pacific Ocean, was likely destined for Australian shores, given its sheer size, according to 1 News.
“We believe there was enough cocaine to serve the Australian market for about one year and enough cocaine to serve the New Zealand market for 30 years,” Coster explained.
According to Fox Newsno arrests have been made in connection with the drug business, but the investigation is ongoing.
“This is a huge illustration of what organized crime is getting into with their global drugs spreading operation and shows that we are not exempt from major organized crime drug smuggling in this part of the world,” Acting Comptroller of New Zealand Customs Bill Perry said, 1 News reported.
New Zealand Navy Rear Admiral Jim Gilmour praised all parties involved in Operation Hydro, noting the importance of protecting the country’s coasts.
“We had the right people and the right capabilities to provide the support we needed and it was great to work with the New Zealand Police and New Zealand Customs,” he said.
“We were very pleased with the result and are happy to be part of this successful operation and are proud to be able to play our part in protecting New Zealand.”
How law enforcement discovered the cache is not reported.
This is not the first time the cartels’ efforts at sea have been thwarted.
Last September US Coast GuardWith the assistance of the Dutch Navy, $475 million worth of cocaine and marijuana were seized. caribbean and the Eastern Pacific.
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