New Zealand Police Have Seized Their Largest Ever Haul of Cocaine

New Zealand has had a busy year for drug busts. Last month police seized a record 448 kilograms of methamphetamine, and now they've found 35 kilograms of coke stashed inside a diamante-encrusted horse statue from Mexico.

The suspicious importation arrived in New Zealand back in May. After quietly investigating the owners for a period of six weeks, police arrested a 44-year-old Mexican man and 56-year-old US national on Friday night they attempted to depart for Hawaii from Auckland International Airport. A third man has been arrested and is under investigation in Christchurch.

Detective Superintendent Virginia Le Bas has praised the work of the police force "This is a significant win for New Zealand," she said. "This is a great success. We should be proud to have detected it at the earliest of stages."

Police believe at least some of the coke was bound for Christchurch, where demand for illicit drugs has allegedly increased following the 2011 earthquake. Drug Foundation executive officer Ross Bell believes rising importations could be linked to the arrival of cleanup workers from overseas.

Cocaine is not used widely in New Zealand. The NZ Drug Foundation has reported that just 3.6 percent of the population has tried the drug, and research from Massey University describes getting cocaine in New Zealand as "very difficult/difficult."

Detective Sergeant Colin Parmenter told NBC that New Zealand Police would normally seize only around 250 grams in a typical year.

The find is the latest in a series of unusual drug busts this year. In January, a waitress flying from Auckland was arrested at Nelson Airport, allegedly carrying meth in a jar of Marmite with a street value of $17,000. In the same month, a personal trainer and bodybuilder was taken into custody at Wellington Airport when police found $1.5 million worth of methamphetamine hidden in a travel pillow.

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