Stuffed dark horse yields cocaine worth Rs 67 crore

New Zealand police said yesterday they have seized a record NZ$14 million (R67 crore) worth of cocaine hidden inside a large diamante-encrusted horse head from Mexico

Wellington: New Zealand police said yesterday they have seized a record NZ$14 million (R67 crore) worth of cocaine hidden inside a large diamante-encrusted horse head from Mexico.

The 35-kg shipment was detected in the horse’s head in May. Pic/AFP

The largest-ever haul of the drug in New Zealand has been linked to the rebuild of the city of Christchurch and the Australian market. Detective Superintendent Virginia Le Bas, from the organised crime unit, said they were still working to establish the final destination of the haul.

The 35-kilogramme (77 pound) shipment had been air-freighted from Mexico to Auckland where it was detected in the bejewelled horse-head statue in May. Following a six-week investigation, a Mexican and an American were arrested in Auckland over the weekend as they prepared to fly to Hawaii and another Mexican was detained in Christchurch.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!