Two men have been arrested after the Australian Federal Police (AFP) uncovered 247kg of cocaine stashed in a yacht moored in Townsville.
The men, both from Griffith, were on Thursday arrested at their apartment, where police allege one of the men threw a backpack stashed with $290,000 in cash off the balcony. The AFP will allege the cash was a proceed of crime.
Police allege the men are linked to a major drug seizure from earlier this year involving a yacht that sailed into Townsville from Vanuatu. The boat was kept at port in April after authorities believed the vessel posed a threat.
During investigations, officers from the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the AFP found minor anomalies with the yacht’s hull and discovered 247kg of cocaine concealed in several enclosed sections of the vessel.
It’s estimated the hefty seizure would have had a street value of about $61,750,000.
It’s alleged the men travelled from Canberra to Townsville in May in an attempt to recover a commercial quantity of cocaine hidden inside the yacht.
Both of the men, who are facing maximum penalties of life imprisonment, were extradited to Brisbane on Sunday and are due to appear before the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.
A 44-year-old man was charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and dealing in the proceeds of crime. The 55-year-old also faces these charges, plus the additional charge of failing to comply with orders to reveal private encryption keys or passwords and pins.
AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said money made from the drug sales would have funded operations of organised criminal gangs.
“That’s money which criminal groups would use to buy weapons, corrupt officials and governments overseas and turn the Pacific into an illicit drug superhighway,” he said.
“The AFP and our partners, through the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Task Force (QJOCTF), work to stop drugs, like cocaine, hitting our shores because illicit drugs contribute to the road toll, child neglect and domestic violence.”
Queensland Police Service Chief Superintendent Craig Morrow commended the collaboration between authorities.
“Joint operations like these combine the resources and intelligence of each enforcement agency to detect, disrupt and deter the illegal drug trade in our country,” he said.
“Targeting the illegal drug trade by disrupting the supply and the distribution networks is a priority for all law enforcement agencies.
“The aim is to stop them from entering our community and causing untold damages to people and families.”
