Cocaine smuggler convicted

Ten grams of cocaine which was inside one of the 200-plus letters posted from Canada. Herald picture / Brett Phibbs

An Australian man has been convicted of being involved in importing $3.5 million of cocaine which was sent in 259 letters to post office boxes around Auckland.

The jury at the High Court in Auckland found Lei Cai, 25 guilty of importing 2.6kg of the drug and having it for supply, after deliberating overnight.

At the start of the trial last week another Australian, Abdalla Ali, 21, admitted the same charges.

They are to be sentenced next month.

The Crown maintained that the pair were part of an international drugs syndicate.

It was believed that the drugs, which were posted from Canada in envelopes bearing Canadian charities' logos, may have been destined for on-shipment to Australia.

Customs officers mounted a surveillance after a tip-off, believed to have come from their counterparts in Australia.

The pair were seen touring around Post Shops picking up envelopes. They had rented 100 post boxes at 35 Post Shops around the city at $125 each, bought a vehicle and leased a house, paying six months rent in cash in advance.