A High Court judge has continued a more than half-a-million dollar restraining order against a group accused of trying to sneak $20 million worth of cocaine off a container ship in Tauranga Harbour.
Police were granted restraining orders last December for $623,497 of cash assets and $100,000 in
an ASB term deposit account against two men who allegedly helped retrieve 46kg of cocaine from a hidden compartment on the exterior of the Maersk Antares's hull.
The vessel arrived from Chile last October 31, before a group of people allegedly approached it under the cover of darkness to retrieve the drugs.
Matthew Scott, Mario Habulin, Benjamin Northway, and Deni Cavallo were all arrested when Customs and police swooped during a joint covert operation.
It was New Zealand's largest ever cocaine bust at the time, but was eclipsed last month after more than 190kg of the drug was found in a container of bananas from Panama.
