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On February 15th, authorities at Auckland Airport (AKL) seized around 223 pounds of cocaine from a Hawaiian Airlines’ aircraft. This marks the largest-ever bust at a New Zealand airport.
Customs officials noticed 85 bricks of a substance that had been covered in black film and clear plastic wrapping. Testing revealed that these contained cocaine. This has a street value of more than $20 million USD.
Group Manager of Border Operations, Dana McDonald, said:
Customs officers are highly trained and cognizant of how transnational organized criminal groups operate. We work hard to stop the supply of illegal drugs, with an aim to hit criminal profits, reduce the ability to cultivate user demand, and disrupt their goal to exploit New Zealand communities.
While this seizure is a fantastic result that has stopped a significant amount of drugs from reaching and harming our communities, what is of Customs concern is that seizures at Auckland Airport have increased steadily in recent years. We have adapted accordingly to this threat.
In the first two months of this year, Customs officers at Auckland Airport have already seized over 183 kilograms of drugs, which highlights the important role we play in protecting New Zealand as well as the environment we operate in.”
An investigation is underway and according to Hawaii News Now, it is unclear if any arrests had been made.
Anthony’s Take: I find it incredible that no one noticed 223 pounds of cocaine when this luggage was scanned. It makes me wonder if there was someone on the inside in Hawaii or how this was loaded onto the aircraft unchecked.
(Image Credits: Hawaii News Now and Hawaiian Airlines.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
