SYDNEY: Australian police on Sunday (May 11) said they seized more than a tonne of cocaine which was allegedly retrieved from a small vessel off the coast of New South Wales (NSW).
Police intercepted the 13-metre motor cruiser on Friday near South West Rocks, some 450km north of Sydney, and found what they allege to be 1,110 blocks of cocaine, weighing 1.039 tonnes, on the vessel - worth an estimated $623.4 million Australian (US$400 million).
Five people were charged following the seizure.
A 24-year-old man and and 26-year-old man were arrested on board the vessel and have since been charged with supply of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug and participation in criminal group.
Three men - aged 28, 29 and 35 - were simultaneously arrested on shore after investigators stopped two vehicles attempting to leave the South West Rocks area. They were charged with taking part in the supply of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug and participation in criminal group.
NSW police said that investigations into the origin of the drugs and in the group's alleged associates remained ongoing.
"Australia's vast coastline is attractive to organised crime groups, who attempt to exploit this by trying to import drugs using boats," said Australian Federal Police (AFP) Assistant Commissioner Stephen Dametto said.
"The bad news for them is the AFP will continue to work together with our partners to target organised crime syndicates who wrongly believe they can operate with impunity.
"Importation of drugs via the sea is inherently dangerous, and criminals using this smuggling method risk both their freedom and their lives." - dpa
