New Zealand's good reputation probably contributed to it being a target, according to an international drugs expert. Photo / Ross Setford.
A 165kg haul of cocaine in Algeria found in a New Zealand container was probably put there because of New Zealand's good reputation, according to an international drugs expert.
Algerian officials intercepted the drugs in a shipping container supposed to be carrying milk powder from New Zealand, which had also
stopped in Panama and Valencia, Spain.
Hugh Griffiths, an expert on drugs and arms trafficking at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, said the container was probably targeted by drugs traffickers due to New Zealand's good reputation.
"The majority of illicit narcotics and arms trafficked are moved aboard ships owned by companies based in the world's richest countries,'' he told Radio New Zealand this morning.
Mr Griffiths said it was likely the container was meant to be offloaded in Valencia - a major entry point for illicit drugs into Europe - and not Algeria.
