By Zoila Palma: Australian authorities have seized nearly 2.7 metric tonnes of cocaine in what has become the largest cocaine bust in the country’s history. The drugs were discovered on June 19 buried in underground bunkers beneath three shipping containers on a semi-rural property in Londonderry, western Sydney, euronews reports.
Police said the cocaine was hidden in plastic tubs and accessed through false floors built into the shipping containers. The haul has an estimated street value of AU$816 million.
Two Sydney men, aged 21 and 25, were arrested at the property and charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an illicit drug. Both face potential life sentences if convicted.
Investigators believe the cocaine was brought ashore by boat at Midge Point in Queensland before being transported about 1,800 kilometres by road to Sydney by an organized crime group. Authorities also suspect the shipment was linked to an earlier seizure of 178 kilograms of cocaine and 142 kilograms of methamphetamine in Queensland, which resulted in charges against six people.
Police suspect the drugs were landed from the same mother ship, the MV Wealth, a Belize-flagged cargo vessel that has been seized by authorities in the Solomon Islands over suspected involvement in transnational organized crime.
Australian Federal Police say criminal groups are increasingly targeting Queensland’s extensive coastline to smuggle large quantities of narcotics into the country, where high drug prices make the market particularly attractive to traffickers.
The post International News: Belize-flagged Cargo ship suspected in Australia’s largest Cocaine bust appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: Australian authorities have seized nearly 2.7 metric tonnes of cocaine in what has become the largest cocaine bust in the country’s history. The drugs were discovered on June 19 buried in underground bunkers beneath three shipping containers on a semi-rural property in Londonderry, western Sydney, euronews reports. Police said the cocaine was
The post International News: Belize-flagged Cargo ship suspected in Australia’s largest Cocaine bust appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
