{"id":469567,"date":"2026-06-10T04:11:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T04:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/469567\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T04:11:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T04:11:08","slug":"cocaine-worth-35m-found-in-prada-branded-bricks-at-tauranga-port","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/469567\/","title":{"rendered":"Cocaine worth $35m found in Prada-branded bricks at Tauranga port"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week\u2019s seizure comes almost two months after 48kg of cocaine<\/a>, with an estimated street value of $16.8m, was found in a refrigerated container at the Port of Tauranga in April.<\/p>\n

\"AnAn X-ray of “Prada”-branded bricks of cocaine. Photo \/ Customs<\/p>\n

The drugs were hidden within the insulated lining in the roof of a refrigerated container carrying legitimate goods from Balboa, Panama.<\/p>\n

Customs maritime manager Robert Smith said transnational serious organised crime groups were continuously testing border security looking for vulnerabilities they could exploit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis seizure highlights our ability to detect those efforts and intervene before harm reaches our communities.<\/p>\n

\"AA “Prada”-branded brick of cocaine. Photo \/ Customs<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery week, Customs officers screen hundreds of containers carrying legitimate goods through our seaports. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is their experience, vigilance, and use of advanced technology and intelligence that enables us to pinpoint the small number that pose a risk, and act decisively.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith said Customs was raising the cost, complexity, and risk for criminal groups seeking to operate here.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese criminal groups have no regard for the harm they cause to legitimate businesses or the wider supply chain. <\/p>\n

\u201cCustoms will continue to work closely with industry and importers to minimise disruption to legitimate trade, while ensuring pressure is consistently applied to those exploiting it.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you suspect or know of possible drug smuggling, you can report it by calling 0800 WE PROTECT (0800 937 768) in confidence or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. <\/p>\n

Cocaine in NZ <\/p>\n

Cocaine was once rare in New Zealand, with little presence even during its global peak in the 1980s and 1990s, according to Massey University Professor Chris Wilkins. <\/p>\n

However, a global oversupply has driven increased availability and demand locally. <\/p>\n

Wastewater testing by police shows cocaine use has reached record levels, with consumption nearly doubling to about 9.4kg per week in late 2025 \u2013 a 98% rise on previous averages. <\/p>\n

While still less commonly used than methamphetamine or cannabis, the rapid growth is notable. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This week\u2019s seizure comes almost two months after 48kg of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $16.8m,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":469568,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[237526,237524,1443,1975,31342,138,20926,50905,17899,1874,71,78,1132,111,139,69,29268,237525,12641,18533,1227,19985],"class_list":["post-469567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-100kg","tag-35m","tag-about","tag-at","tag-bricks","tag-business","tag-cocaine","tag-container","tag-customs","tag-found","tag-from","tag-in","tag-million","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-port","tag-pradabranded","tag-seized","tag-shipping","tag-tauranga","tag-worth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469567","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=469567"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469567\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/469568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=469567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=469567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=469567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}