Police have arrested eight people and disrupted plans to import hundreds of kilograms of cocaine into the country from Mexico, they say.
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Police and Customs Service searched 10 properties in Rotorua, Te Kaha, Te Puke, Ōmokoroa, Mount Albert and Auckland CBD, as well as a boat moored in Northland.
Those involved allegedly planned to import a large quantity of cocaine and methamphetamine into New Zealand via shipping containers, with some in the group importing a smaller quantity of cocaine from Central America by courier mail.
They made eight arrests.
A police spokesperson said the eight-month operation targeted key players of a drug syndicate operating in New Zealand with links to a Mexican cartel.
The men, aged between 26 and 62, face multiple drugs related charges and are due to appear in the Tauranga District Court over the coming days.
Two of the men were patched members of the Rotorua chapter of the Filthy Few Motorcycle Club.
