The four foreign nationals accused of importing $20 million dollars of cocaine into New Zealand can now be named.
Benjamin John Northway, Mario Habulin, Matthew Scott and Deni Cavallo appeared in the Tauranga District Court today.
They face 20 charges including possession of a class A drug, supply and being part of an organised criminal group.
Police made the arrests following a five month investigation.
The men were arrested after allegedly removing a package from the rudder of the Maersk Antares at the Tauranga Port on Tuesday night.
Assistant Commissioner Investigations Richard Chambers says it's the biggest cocaine seizure our country has ever seen.
46 kilograms of cocaine was seized from a Tauranga address, and police also raided a residential property in Auckland where another five kilograms of cocaine was discovered.
During yesterday's press conference police said "significant amounts" of money had also been found.
Police say New Zealand has become a target for international drug syndicates.
The men have been remanded in custody and will reappear at the Tauranga District Court next month.
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