{"id":436405,"date":"2026-05-20T08:40:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T08:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/436405\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T08:40:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T08:40:12","slug":"false-bottom-suitcases-with-2-2m-of-cocaine-at-auckland-airport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/436405\/","title":{"rendered":"False-bottom suitcases with $2.2m of cocaine at Auckland Airport"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two foreigners in their 20s have been arrested in Auckland after Customs officers found six kilos of cocaine hidden in the false bottoms of suitcases.<\/p>\n

The pair, aged 22 and 23, arrived at Auckland Airport last night from Santiago, Chile. <\/p>\n

Both were referred for a baggage check during passport processing. When officers removed the contents of each suitcase, X-rays revealed inconsistencies. <\/p>\n

“On closer examination, each suitcase was found to contain a false bottom within the lining, in which there were vacuum-sealed bags containing a powder-like substance that tested positive for cocaine,” a spokesperson for the Customs Service said.<\/p>\n

\"When<\/p>\n

When officers removed the contents of each suitcase, X-rays allegedly revealed inconsistencies. (Source: New Zealand Customs Service)<\/p>\n

Customs said the suspected cocaine had a combined weight of about 6.3kg, equivalent to an estimated 63,140 doses, worth approximately $2.2 million if sold in retail amounts.<\/p>\n

The service’s Auckland Airport manager Paul Williams said the interception showed the skill of officers working to protect “communities from the harm caused by illicit drugs.”<\/p>\n

“For those choosing to smuggle drugs, your time is always limited,” Williams said. <\/p>\n

“You will be identified, and you will be held to account.<\/p>\n

“Every interception like this represents significant community harm prevented, and reinforces that New Zealand\u2019s border is actively defended.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two foreigners in their 20s have been arrested in Auckland after Customs officers found six kilos of cocaine…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":436406,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[15656,67,42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-436405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-air-travel","tag-crime-and-justice","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=436405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436405\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/436406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=436405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=436405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=436405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}