NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

From Brazilian beach to Kiwi prison: Young mum preyed on by international drugs cartels

Sam Hurley
By Sam Hurley
NZ Herald Print Editor·NZ Herald·
4 Dec, 2018 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Police and Customs have found more than 190 kilograms of cocaine located in a container of bananas - the biggest bust of the drug in New Zealand history.

A mystery meeting on a Brazilian beach has led to a young mum of two being locked up in a Kiwi prison for half a decade, as Mexican and South American cartels try and flood this country with top-shelf cocaine.

Pamela Taina Nascimento was caught attempting to smuggle cocaine into New Zealand in September.

The 23-year-old had travelled to Auckland from Sao Paulo in Brazil, via Buenos Aires. She had swallowed about 40 pellets of cocaine while 44 smaller pellets were located on her - they added up to nearly 1kg with an 85 per cent purity.

She had met a mystery man on the Brazilian beach, who offered her R$12,000 Brazilian reals, which when converted is a little more than $4500 New Zealand dollars, a court heard yesterday.

The cocaine pellets were worth more than $310,000 on New Zealand streets.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Growing up in a town in the southeast of South America's biggest country, Nascimento was raised by her grandparents but had also lost her eldest brother in a shooting two years ago.

She had carried out a drug run before - to Spain - which paid her a similar amount. She used it to help pay for bills and raise her two young children, aged 5 and 4.

However, when she arrived in Auckland on September 28, Customs officers searched and questioned her.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
The cocaine pellets had a street value of about $310,000. Photo / NZ Customs
The cocaine pellets had a street value of about $310,000. Photo / NZ Customs

She came clean and revealed the concealed drugs on her body and in her digestive system.

Appearing for sentencing yesterday, a distraught Nascimento was imprisoned for six years and three months.

But, as Judge Philippa Anne Cunningham said, Nascimento was effectively a pawn, having been "preyed upon" by drug international traffickers.

The Herald this year revealed Customs' new target was the highly-profitable drug trade by organised South American criminal groups and Mexican gangs.

Discover more

New Zealand|politics

'Out in two years' - Brazil tells nationals

16 Mar 01:15 AM
New Zealand|politics

Big Read: How Mexican drug cartels are infiltrating NZ

30 Jun 07:00 AM
New Zealand|crime

Three Poles, a Russian sailor, a mystery West African ... and $130k buried at Bastion Point

29 Dec 05:41 AM
New Zealand

Record drug bust: police find 190kg of cocaine in banana container

15 Nov 11:07 PM

The Government helped Customs combat the cartels by allocating an extra $54.2m of operating funding in the May Budget over four years.

"It's all highly organised," Jamie Bamford, the Customs group manager of intelligence investigations and enforcement, told the Herald.

"We think Mexican criminal gangs and cartels sit behind this ... we've seen an uptick in [drug] couriers coming out of South America."

Customs investigations manager Bruce Berry told the Herald there continued to be an increase in passengers and cargo carrying cocaine from the Americas.

He had "solid information" the cartels were responsible.

Pamela Nascimento's journey to New Zealand began in Sao Paulo. Photo / File
Pamela Nascimento's journey to New Zealand began in Sao Paulo. Photo / File

When Nascimento was arrested she was forthcoming to authorities with information, however, what she provided was of low value, the court heard.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The cartels don't care about the couriers," Berry said. "This is about money."

The drug busts are also getting bigger.

Just last month police and Customs uncovered the biggest cocaine bust in New Zealand's history after finding more than 190kg of the drug in a container of bananas from Panama.

The increased supply is, in part, because New Zealanders pay the most for cocaine in the world, according to the Global Drug Survey 2018.

On average Kiwis will part with $340 for a gram of the white powder, about $20 more than Australia - the second most expensive country.

Meanwhile in Colombia, users pay just $6.86 per gram of cocaine, while in Brazil it costs $15.50 per gram - the second cheapest price in the world.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Customs investigations manager Bruce Berry says he has "solid information" the cartels are behind the influx of cocaine smugglers trying to make their way into New Zealand. Photo / Tania Whyte
Customs investigations manager Bruce Berry says he has "solid information" the cartels are behind the influx of cocaine smugglers trying to make their way into New Zealand. Photo / Tania Whyte

Berry said New Zealand was seen as a viable drug market with an attractive high-price. And after a record season for poppies and coca there was an abundance of drugs on the market.

Meanwhile, Nascimento will be eligible for parole after serving a third of her sentence before being deported back to Brazil.

Judge Cunningham said she had "much sympathy" for Nascimento and gave her a discounted prison sentence for personal circumstances.

"The discount is as much for the children as it is as much for Ms Nascimento," she said.

The Brazilian consulate had also aided Nascimento while she was in custody by helping her remain in contact with her family, Judge Cunningham said.

However, in March, the Herald reported that Brazil's consulate in Auckland was telling its nationals they would only serve a couple of years in prison if caught smuggling drugs.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The claim was made in court during the sentencing of Marlon Batista De Macedo, who was stopped at the border last year with up to $1.68m-worth of cocaine in his suitcase.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

'Remarkable' drugs: Benefits and drawbacks of Ozempic, Wegovy revealed

06 Jul 04:12 AM
New Zealand

Traumatised woman who found 'real love and care' in NZ avoids deportation

06 Jul 04:00 AM
New Zealand

Air NZ flight lands safely in Auckland after hydraulic issue

06 Jul 03:15 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

'Remarkable' drugs: Benefits and drawbacks of Ozempic, Wegovy revealed

'Remarkable' drugs: Benefits and drawbacks of Ozempic, Wegovy revealed

06 Jul 04:12 AM

Semaglutide drugs Ozempic and Wegovy are now available in New Zealand.

Traumatised woman who found 'real love and care' in NZ avoids deportation

Traumatised woman who found 'real love and care' in NZ avoids deportation

06 Jul 04:00 AM
Air NZ flight lands safely in Auckland after hydraulic issue

Air NZ flight lands safely in Auckland after hydraulic issue

06 Jul 03:15 AM
Sick social housing tenant fights eviction bid linked to disruptive visitors

Sick social housing tenant fights eviction bid linked to disruptive visitors

06 Jul 03:00 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP