NZ police find record cocaine haul in diamante horse head

In a case of 'only in New Zealand' a 400 kilogram diamante-encrusted horse head has been found stuffed with a record-breaking cocaine haul. The horse head had come from Mexico.

A diamante-encrusted horse head stuffed full of cocaine has been found in New Zealand. Source: New Zealand Police

New Zealand Police and Customs officers have discovered a record-breaking diamante-encrusted cokehead - a horse cokehead.

The police found the 400 kilogram black-and-gold sparkly horse head sculpture, that had been air-freighted from Mexico, packed with 35 one-kilogram bricks of high-grade cocaine.

Police found 35 one-kilogram bricks inside the horse's head. Source: New Zealand Police

It was the largest cocaine haul in New Zealand history, and saw three men - two Mexican nationals aged 44 and 29, and a 56 year-old US national - arrested and charged with drug possession and importation.

The previous largest cocaine seizure was about 250 grams.

But it's not the record drug haul that has people talking.

Social media users were more interested in why the alleged drug smugglers choose such an "ugly" and "conspicuous" item to carry their wares.

Two of the men were arrested at Auckland International Airport attempting to fly to Hawaii and police have searched a home in Te Atatu.

The drug importation charge carries a possible life sentence.

The officer in charge of Auckland's organised crime unit, Detective Senior Sergeant Colin Parmenter, said police had previously only found small amounts of cocaine in the country.

"What this find tells us though is that there is obviously a demand for it," he said.

"While it’s possible that this statue may have been sent on to another country, but there’s every possibility that the cocaine was destined for the New Zealand market and we would be naive to think otherwise.”