Australia’s largest seizure of cocaine has taken place off the coast of K’gari after a boat carrying more than two tonnes of the illegal drug broke down.
The Australian Federal Police have charged 13 people over the attempted importation of 2.34 tonnes of cocaine, valued at $760 million.
AFP Commander Stephen Jay said those charged included the crew of a vessel allegedly attempting to import the illicit drugs into Queensland and multiple parties waiting on shore to collect the cocaine.
Commander Jay said they were arrested at the weekend following a joint investigation between the AFP and Queensland Police Service (QPS).
“The AFP will allege one of the men arrested on Saturday night was the vice-president of the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle club’s Brisbane chapter,” he said.
“This is the largest ever seizure of cocaine in Australia. The cocaine had an estimated street value of about $760 million dollars with the potential to equate to 11.7 million individual street deals, had it reached the community.”
Commander Jay said over the past week the AFP, QPS and Australian Border Force had been tracking a recreational fishing boat, where it allegedly met a “mothership” to collect the cocaine, before returning towards the Queensland coastline.
“When the fishing boat became stranded about 18km off the northeastern tip of K’gari due to a suspected mechanical breakdown on Saturday, the AFP and QPS initiated multiple arrests at sea, in the Bundaberg region and Brisbane.”
Commander Jay said a search of the vessel allegedly found 51 bales with roped netting around them.
“Each bale contained about 40kg of a white substance packaged in individual 1kg blocks.
“The substance returned a presumptive positive result for cocaine. The total estimated gross weight of the suspected cocaine located is 2.34 tonnes.”
He said further forensic testing would determine the exact weight and purity of the alleged cocaine.
Commander Jay said the AFP was alert to crime syndicates attempting to import drugs into Australia via motherships and daughterships, where illicit drugs were smuggled into Australian waters on ships for retrieval by local crews.
“We know that criminals go to extreme lengths, and often risk their own lives, to smuggle drugs into Australia with no regard to the harm they cause to Australian communities,” Commander Jay said.
QPS Detective Acting Chief Superintendent Craig Morrow said strong relationships with partner agencies nationally and internationally remained crucial in the fight against organised crime.
“By pooling resources, intelligence, and expertise, we are delivering impactful results and enhancing community safety,” Detective Acting Chief Superintendent Morrow said.
