Mario Habulin (inset) has been deported to Croatia for his role in smuggling cocaine into New Zealand in 2017. Photos / NZME, Police
Mario Habulin (inset) has been deported to Croatia for his role in smuggling cocaine into New Zealand in 2017. Photos / NZME, Police
The final offender has been deported for his role in one of New Zealand’s largest cocaine smuggling operations, Immigration New Zealand says.
Four foreign nationals were arrested in 2017 for attempting to smuggle $20 million worth of cocaine into the country.
About 46kg of the Class-A drug concealed in thehull of a container ship was collected under cover of darkness by a group posing as fishermen in Tauranga.
The arrests came after a five-month police and Customs covert investigation. It was the biggest bust of its kind at the time.
The four offenders were jailed in 2020. They included Australians Matthew John Scott and Benjamin John Northway, Serbian Deni Cavallo and Croatian Mario Habulin.
Immigration NZ said in a statement today that Habulin was deported last weekend for his role in the transnational drug‑trafficking and money‑laundering syndicate.
Immigration said returning him to Croatia was its final step in the years-long case.
The other three offenders had been deported over the past three years after completing their sentences.
Deni Cavallo (from left), Matthew Scott, Benjamin Northway and Mario Habulin were sentenced in the High Court at Rotorua in February 2020. Photo / NZME
Immigration’s national manager compliance, Fadia Mudafar, said it was a complex deportation with “extensive co-ordination across multiple agencies and international jurisdictions” and “unexpected challenges”.
There were diplomatic, security and medical complexities.
With no Croatian Embassy in New Zealand, Immigration worked with the Italian Embassy to secure a European Union emergency travel document.
The evolving situation in the Middle East forced last-minute travel plan changes.
“Deportation is a critical part of protecting New Zealand, ensuring that foreign nationals who commit serious crimes are removed once they have completed their sentences,” Mudafar said.
Parcels of cocaine weighing 46kg were stashed in the Maersk Antares, which arrived in Tauranga from Chile. Photo / File
NZME has previously reported that authorities had been watching the men for months before the cocaine arrived at the Port of Tauranga on October 31, 2017.
Police filmed as Habulin swam to the rudder of the cargo ship, climbed into the bulkhead and retrieved two duffel bags of drugs, throwing them into the water for the Australians to retrieve.
The drugs were seized by police within hours. More drugs and cash were found at a different address connected to the four the next day.
Habulin was 48 at the time of his sentencing in 2020.
