Australian police said on Tuesday 70kg of cocaine worth $12m has been
seized from a yacht, as they crack down on syndicates trafficking drugs
through the South Pacific.
Five people, including a Briton and an
Estonian, were arrested and remanded in custody over the haul, believed
to be one of the largest cocaine seizures in Queensland state history,
Australian Federal Police said.
"We believe this operation has
disrupted and caused significant damage to a number of organised
criminal enterprises that are seeking to profit from the high prices and
demand for illegal narcotics in Australia," said Federal Police
organised crime commander David Stewart.
Police said they were
tipped off about a possible drug shipment by the British National Crime
Agency, which suggested a yacht was making its way to Australia from
South America.
Authorities
monitored the vessel as it sailed from the Pacific state of Vanuatu and
arrived at Queensland's popular Gold Coast tourist strip on Monday.
Police
alleged that on arrival the yacht's only occupant, a 43-year-old
Estonian, met a 58-year-old Briton and the pair purchased tools to
remove the drugs that were hidden inside the body of the vessel.
They
were arrested, along with three other men they met, on Monday afternoon
with some 40 kilograms of cocaine in their possession, police alleged.
A
further 30 kilograms of the drug was later found concealed within the
yacht, police said, with the total consignment worth about $12m.
The
Estonian and the Briton were charged with importing a commercial
quantity of cocaine and the other three, aged 29, 59 and 67, with
attempting to possess a commercial quantity of the drug.
All were remanded in custody
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Australian police find $12m cocaine haul on yacht
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