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The chief officer of a livestock carrier has been charged for his alleged role in an attempt to import more than half a tonne of animals from the WA coast.
Australian Federal Police and other agencies were investigating the carrier’s suspicious activities when Lancelin locals found large packages tied to flotation barrels in the ocean about 30 kilometers off the coast.
Seized drugs. Credit: WA Police
“[Authorities] It will allege the drugs were dumped into the ocean from an international animal transport ship bound for the Port of Fremantle,” a spokesman said.
“During a search of the ship… investigators found a blue barrel and ropes allegedly similar to those found in the drugs. It will also be alleged… that a CCTV camera was turned off while the drugs were allegedly being offloaded from the ship.”
Police said authorities were called to a boat taking on water off the coast of Guilderton just days before the drugs were found.
Two men from Sydney needed to be rescued and police said the men were trying to take cocaine during the incident.
Further investigation revealed another man from Perth had also attempted to collect the cocaine from another location.
All three men were charged for their alleged involvement in the illegal importation of the drug, while the general manager of a live animal transport company, a Croatian national, was accused of attempting to bring the drugs to Australia on his own ship.
Police said they found approximately 525kg of cocaine tied to barrels and believed the shipment, if it reached the streets of Western Australia, could have resulted in the street sale of 2.5 million individual items worth approximately $170 million.
