New Zealand authorities find $10M of cocaine in sculpture of horse head

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (MEDIA GENERAL) – It’s fair to say a Mexican cartel’s attempt at recreating the Trojan Horse didn’t go as planned.

On Saturday, New Zealand authorities confirmed it has netted the country’s largest seizure of cocaine after confiscating a diamante-encrusted horse sculpture that weighed more than 800 pounds in May. Inside the horse’s head were 35 bricks of cocaine.

The statue had been freighted to the island from Mexico. Authorities are not sure if New Zealand was the final destination.

Three men, two Mexican nationals and an American, have been arrested in connection to the bust. The cocaine has an estimated street value of $14 million NZ dollars ($10.08 million US dollars).