Australian authorities intercept over a ton of cocaine worth $400M
More than a ton of cocaine worth nearly $400 million was seized off the coast of Australia during a drug bust that ended with the arrests of five men on Friday, local authorities said.
New South Wales (NSW) Police Force investigators obtained intelligence about a suspicious purchase of a boat with a large sum of cash in late April and began following the movements of the vessel and people involved, the NSW and Australian Federal Police (AFP) said in a joint news release.
Both the NSW and AFP monitored their activities as they traveled north via Nelson Bay and Port Macquarie, according to the agencies.
When the vessel came back to shore on Friday, marine authorities launched an interception.
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Authorities discovered approximately 1,110 blocks of cocaine, weighing 1.039 tons, aboard the vessel. The cocaine had an estimated potential street value of nearly $400 million, according to authorities.
Two men, aged 24 and 26, were arrested on board the vessel. Three men – aged 28, 29 and 35 – were arrested on shore after investigators stopped two vehicles attempting to leave the area.
"Australia’s vast coastline is attractive to organized crime groups, who attempt to exploit this by trying to import drugs using boats," AFP Assistant Commissioner Stephen Dametto said. "The bad news for them is the AFP will continue to work together with our partners to target organized crime syndicates who wrongly believe they can operate with impunity."
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The two men arrested on the boat were charged with supplying a prohibited drug in a large commercial quantity, while the three men arrested on shore were charged with taking part in supplying a prohibited drug in a large commercial quantity. All five face charges of participating in a criminal group.
All five men appeared in court and were denied bail.
Investigators are working to learn more about the origin of the drugs and the group's alleged associates.