Name suppression for the four men arrested following a $20m cocaine bust in Tauranga has been lifted.
The four men accused of importing millions of dollars worth of cocaine into NZ (from left) Deni Cavallo, Matthew Scott, Benjamin Northway and Mario Habulin. Photo: SunLIVE / Sam Gardner
An estimated 46 kilograms of cocaine, with a street value of around NZ$20 million ($450 per gram), was seized from an address in Tauranga early yesterday morning.
Police and Customs officers arrested four Australian and Serbian men and seized the cocaine that had been smuggled on a commercial ship.
Matthew Scott, 44, Deni Cavallo, 46, Benjamin Northway, 35, and Maria Habulin, 46, all appeared in the dock at Tauranga Court today.
None of the accused applied for bail when they appeared in court today.
The men have been remanded in custody until 4 December.
During this time, police will prepare a submission for the courts to try and get the case transferred to Auckland, as that is where the majority of the charges originated.
All four of the men's defence lawyers have opposed the case being transferred to Auckland.
- SunLive