Two individuals arrested for failed attempt to import 560 kilograms of cocaine into Western Australia
Border Force authorities have intercepted over 4,200 cocaine deals with an estimated total weight of 4,769 kilograms.
Two men have been arrested and are accused of attempting to recover over half a ton of cocaine from the ocean that had been dropped overboard from a bulk cargo carrier.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) reported that the plan was foiled when a 45-year-old man got into trouble and required rescuing from his seven-meter fishing boat on Aug. 7, off the Western Australia (WA) coast at Denham.
Both men have been extradited to WA after being charged for their alleged involvement in the matter which the AFP claims was orchestrated by a transnational drug trafficking criminal syndicate, worth over $200 million ($US 131 million).
The second man, a 53-year-old who also traveled to WA, was waiting at a boat ramp for the drugs to be retrieved by his partner, with plans to transport the drugs back to Queensland, according to police.
Four days later, federal and WA police officers raided a property in Kalbarri, 570 kilometers northwest of Perth, where they discovered around 560 kilograms of cocaine wrapped in plastic.
After appearing in a Mackay court last month on charges of attempting to import a commercial quantity of cocaine, both men were handed over to WA police.
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If the cocaine had made it to the streets, it could have been distributed as approximately 560,000 individual street deals, AFP Inspector Chris Colley stated on Sunday.
“That would have led to an estimated $224 million spent on purchasing cocaine rather than at legitimate local businesses,” he added.
According to him, drug syndicates target Australia due to its high demand, making it a lucrative market, with authorities stopping 2.3 tonnes worth of drugs this year.
The two men are set to appear in court on Jan. 12, 2024, and face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if convicted.
Three other men from Queensland were also arrested at the Kalbarri property, with police alleging that they purchased a boat and used it to collect the cocaine from the ocean. These men, aged 29, 32, and 49, are currently before the courts.
Border Force authorities have stopped over 4,200 cocaine deals with an estimated total weight of 4,769 kilograms in the 2022/23 financial year, marking a 166 percent increase from the previous financial year, as ABF Commander Ranjeev Maharaj revealed.
“Organized crime syndicates are relentless in their efforts to flood our shores with cocaine, driven by greed and profit,” Commander Maharaj stated.
