On Friday, nearly 186 kilos of cocaine was seized from a commercial vessel after it was escorted to Hobart by Border force personnel.
HMAS Adelaide and the Australian Border Force had been tracking the vessel for thousands of kilometers before the boat was intercepted 10 days ago in the Southern Ocean as it approached Tasmania.
It has been reported by the Police that the packages had been compressed into bricks and wrapped in plastic. They are further planning to test the purity of the drug.
The Police are unclear about the origin of the cocaine but authorities said that given the size of the haul, it was unlikely it was destined for the Tasmanian market.
A search of the boat, a former research vessel, took days and on Wednesday Tasmania Police assistant commissioner Glenn Frame revealed a haul worth about $60.45 million.
“Authorities located approximately 186 kgs of the suspicious substance, which had been compressed into bricks and wrapped in plastic,” Mr. Frame said.
“Forensic testing has indicated the substance is cocaine, and further analysis will be conducted to determine the exact weight and purity.”
10 people arrested:
Ten men onboard the vessel, aged between 23 and 50, were each charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The men, who are all foreign nationals, have been refused bail and are scheduled to reappear on January 13 at court.
Mr. Frame said, “The vessel will remain in Hobart while (police) work with other agencies to undertake environmental and biosecurity procedures including the removal of fuel and food”.
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Source: News
