Australian police have conducted the country’s largest cocaine seizure, finding 2.34 metric tons aboard a fishing boat that had broken down near Queensland’s coast. Thirteen individuals alleged to be part of a drug-smuggling syndicate were arrested in connection with the bust.
Authorities tracked a recreational fishing vessel suspected of traveling out to sea to rendezvous with a mothership in international waters to retrieve the cocaine, valued at nearly half a billion dollars.
The vessel experienced what is believed to be a mechanical breakdown, stranding the alleged traffickers 18 kilometers (11 miles) off the northeastern tip of K’gari Island, formerly known as Fraser Island, on Saturday.
Seizing the opportunity, police boarded the boat, arresting two men at sea during a collaborative operation involving federal and local forces. An additional 11 individuals, including two juveniles, were apprehended on land.
Among those arrested was the Brisbane vice president of the Comanchero Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, known for its involvement in violence, extortion, and drug trafficking. All suspects face charges for conspiracy to import a commercial quantity of drugs, with potential penalties reaching life imprisonment.
Authorities estimate the confiscated cocaine could yield 11.7 million individual street deals. Commander Stephen Jay remarked, “We know that criminals go to extreme lengths, risking their own lives to smuggle drugs into Australia, showing no regard for the harm they inflict on communities.”
The police operation commenced in November following a tip-off about the Comanchero gang’s alleged plans to import drugs into the country.
In recent years, Australian authorities have warned that international drug cartels are increasingly targeting Australia, where a rise in cocaine use, coupled with some of the highest street prices globally, has created a lucrative illicit market.
Last week, a Colombian-led international anti-drug operation captured six so-called “narco subs” filled with cocaine, uncovering 225 metric tons of the drug. Among this haul, five tons were found aboard a semi-submersible vessel traveling a marine trafficking route from Colombia to Australia, according to the Colombian Navy.
