A father and son are due in court after police discovered 350
grams of cocaine and methamphetamine hidden in a Mount
Maunganui apartment block storage unit plus a sizeable sum of
cash.
A 50-year-old Tauranga man and his 21-year-old son, both
sickness beneficiaries, will appear in Tauranga District
Court tomorrow.
The drug haul was uncovered on January 20 and follows a
police investigation which began in December last year.
Inside the storage unit, police discovered two sealed bags
containing white powder and a third containing about $15,000
cash.
Analysis of the powder has confirmed it to be 130 grams of
the Class A drug cocaine and 220 grams of the Class A drug
methamphetamine.
Cocaine is an imported, highly addictive powder drug not
commonly found by police in Bay of Plenty.
The seizure follows enquiries at the apartment complex in
December last year when one man was arrested when found in
possession of 6 grams of methamphetamine and 25 grams of
cocaine.
Detective Sergeant Darryl Brazier of the Mount Maunganui
police said: "This is a significant seizure. The cocaine has
a potential street value of between $260,000 and $1 million,
depending on purity, while the methamphetamine alone has a
street value of approximately $220,000."
Cocaine was a highly sought-after and heavily addictive drug
and it was unusual to locate such a large quantity at one
time, he said
"The seizure of this large quantity of drugs, destined for
the street market, will undoubtedly prevent significant
community harm. We will continue to treat any information
concerning drug-dealing activity with urgency."
Enquiries are continuing and more arrests are likely.
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