New Zealand and French Agencies Seize 4.24 Tonnes of Cocaine in Pacific Operation

New Zealand agencies have collaborated with French authorities in a major international operation that has intercepted 4.24 tonnes of cocaine in French Polynesia, Customs Minister Casey Costello announced today.

The New Zealand Customs Service, New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) supported French authorities, with assistance from the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), to stop a vessel and seize 4.24 tonnes of cocaine on Monday 2 February.

One of the explicit actions in the new Transnational, Serious and Organised Crime (TSOC) Action Plan launched in December was for these agencies to work together on a maritime campaign to target and take down transnational organised crime networks operating across the Pacific, Ms Costello said.

This is the first major success of that campaign, Operation Kiwa, and I am delighted at the agility with which the agencies have swung into action and worked with their French and US partners to deliver this result. Stopping transnational organised crime requires international cooperation and strong partnerships.

Operation Kiwa combines the expertise and capabilities of Customs, NZDF and the GCSB to deliver enhanced intelligence operations and maritime surveillance to patrol the region and protect New Zealand and our Pacific partners.

We want to stop organised crime groups and their products from reaching anyone’s shores and causing harm to our people and economies.