Police charge 13 over record cocaine seizure in Australian history

Sydney, Dec 2 (IANS) Australian police on Monday said that they have arrested and charged 13 people over a record cocaine bust in the country's history.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) announced it charged 11 adults and two juveniles following an investigation into a transnational criminal syndicate accused of attempting to import 2.34 tonnes of cocaine into the northeastern Australian state of Queensland by sea, reports Xinhua news agency.

Officers from the AFP and Queensland Police Service (QPS) made the arrests on Saturday night and in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Those arrested included the crew of a vessel allegedly attempting to import the cocaine into Queensland and multiple parties waiting on shore to collect the illicit drugs. The AFP will allege in court that one of the men is the vice-president of an outlaw motorcycle gang.

It marks the largest seizure of cocaine in Australian history, with an estimated street value of 760 million Australian dollars ($493.6 million).

"We know that criminals go to extreme lengths, and often risk their own lives, to smuggle drugs into Australia with no regard to the harm they cause to Australian communities," AFP Commander Stephen Jay said in a statement.

"This alleged attempt to collect more than two tons of cocaine from the ocean shows that criminals will do anything for their own greed and profit," he said.

All 13 individuals have been charged with one count of conspiracy to import a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs.

If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Jay and QPS Detective Acting Chief Superintendent Craig Morrow said at a press conference that the joint investigation began in November after receiving intelligence that a criminal syndicate was planning to import drugs into Australia.

They said that the AFP, QPS and Australian Border Force tracked a recreational fishing boat as it travelled to sea to allegedly meet a mothership to collect the cocaine before returning to Queensland.

The arrests were initiated after the boat became stranded at sea due to a suspected mechanical breakdown.

Jay said that investigations into the origin of the cocaine remain ongoing.

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