2 New Zealand 'gang associates' were arrested after trying to smuggle a car full of KFC chicken, french fries, and 10 tubs of coleslaw into Auckland during lockdown, police say

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2 New Zealand 'gang associates' were arrested after trying to smuggle a car full of KFC chicken, french fries, and 10 tubs of coleslaw into Auckland during lockdown, police say
FILE PHOTO: A Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) bucket of mixed fried and grilled chicken is seen in this picture illustration Thomson Reuters
  • New Zealand police said they arrested two men smuggling KFC and $70,000 in cash into Auckland.
  • It's the second time fast-food hauls have led to charges amid the city's strict COVID-19 lockdown.
  • As businesses reopened at midnight, the line at one Auckland McDonald's went around the corner.
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Two New Zealand men were arrested on Sunday after attempting to cross the Auckland border with a car "full" of Kentucky Fried Chicken, french fries, and 10 tubs of coleslaw, local police said.

The police identified the pair as "gang associates" and found over 100,000 New Zealand dollars ($70,000) in cash and empty ounce bags alongside large amount of fast food, authorities said.

"The vehicle did a U-turn and sped off trying to evade police" after they noticed the car driving down a gravel road near the border, police said.

Auckland officials are enforcing strict travel restrictions amid a citywide lockdown after a surge in COVID-19 cases. With restaurants closed, residents who break travel rules to purchase fast food outside the city risk fines up to $8,400 or six months of jail time.

This is the second set of charges this month involving takeout food. Last week, a 20-year-old man was charged with breaking health orders as he left Auckland in search of McDonald's, which he documented on TikTok.

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As businesses reopened Tuesday at midnight, 40 cars were waiting in line outside a West Auckland McDonald's at 12:30 a.m., according to Stuff, one of New Zealand's largest news site. By 1 a.m., customers clogged the road and wrapped around the corner.

Hell Pizza CEO Ben Cumming​ told the Stuff reporter Glenn McConnell that Auckland fast-food outlets were anticipating about double their normal demand as the city downgraded from Level 4 to Level 3 restrictions.

In a statement, New Zealand Police said they were "pleased with the actions of the majority of people adhering to the Alert Level restrictions, but are disappointed by the small number of people who deliberately flout the rules."

Since the Level 4 lockdown was put in place, police said 86 people had been charged with a total of 90 offenses, the majority of which were failing to comply with COVID-19 restrictions.

On Friday, fines for COVID-19 rule breakers were raised by over $5,000 as authorities expressed concern about the Delta variant spreading beyond Auckland and into other regions, Reuters reported.

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"Our success has been really based on the fact that people by and large have been compliant," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a news conference. "However, there has been the odd person that has broken the rules and put others at risk."

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