Drug courier with cocaine concealed in suitcase sentenced to 4 years and 11 months in prison

The man arrived at Auckland International Airport on 13 April on a flight from Santiago, Chile. During a baggage search, an x-ray identified inconsistencies within the outer lining of his two suitcases.
 
Customs officers examined the suitcases further and upon drilling each suitcase, located quantities of white powder which was confirmed to be cocaine. The amount of cocaine seized was worth approximately NZ$600,000 and could have caused up to NZ$2,096,420 in potential harm and cost to New Zealand. 
 
Chief Customs Officer Drug investigations, Simon Jamieson, says Customs Drug Investigators have the agility and expertise to not only locate drug couriers that target New Zealand, but also to conduct thorough investigations to put them before the courts and to identify the transnational serious organised crime (TSOC) groups that send them down here.   
 
“The promise of quick money by these TSOC groups comes at a very heavy price, as any drug courier landing in New Zealand will quickly find out.”