Two New Zealanders have been arrested on a cruise after about
5kg of cocaine was allegedly found in their cabin.
Tony Wilkinson, 42, and Kirstie Harris, 25, were arrested,
along with an Australian man, after the drugs were allegedly
found during a search of a P&O cruise liner docked at the
Port of San Francisco, said US customs officials.
The search, carried out on January 25, was a joint operation
between US Customs and Border Protection officers and a
multi-agency taskforce composed of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations agents, US Coast
Guard, and local law enforcement personnel.
"This joint enforcement effort led to the interception of 13
kilograms (28.6 pounds) of cocaine and the arrest of three
foreign nationals,'' US Customs said in a statement.
Officers allegedly found about 5kg of a white powdery
substance, which tested positive for cocaine, concealed in a
suitcase inside a cabin occupied by Wilkinson and Harris,
both New Zealand citizens.
A further 7.7kg of cocaine was allegedly found in a cabin
belonging to 27-year-old Australian Ahmed Rachid, the US
Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
Customs Border Patrol spokesman Gary Horne said that during
an interview with Rachid, officers detected an "anomaly''
which prompted a search of his cabin, UK's The Mirror
reported.
"We talk to them. We ask them where they're from and what
they're bringing in,'' he said.
All three were arrested by Immigration and Customs
Enforcement officials for investigation of possession with
intent to distribute cocaine.
Customs inspectors would no say if the two discoveries were
related, said The Mirror.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today it had offered
consular assistance to the New Zealanders.
The spokesman would not say if they were in custody.
The three people are understood to have been aboard the
Aurora during a world cruise and had arrived in San Francisco
from Curacao, a Caribbean Island.
After leaving San Francisco it sailed to Honolulu, and was
now on its way to Sydney.
A P&O Cruises spokesman said he could not comment on an
ongoing investigation.
- APNZ and Herald Online
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