The Australian Federal Police (AFP) have taken the unusual step of seeking information from the public on the attempted importation of 253 kilograms into Australia after the drugs were intercepted, but no arrests have been made.
Usually, when AFP and Australian Border Force (ABF) officers are aware of a shipment of drugs entering the country, they will substitute it for an inert substance and then observe the people who collect it, making arrests that way.
But to date, no one has been apprehended after the ABF received information on May 27 about a suspicious container being landed at the post in Brisbane.
They X-rayed the container and found “anomalies” inside. When it was opened, officers found five carry bags wrapped in black plastic that had been placed on top of pallets of polyethylene, a legal product used for packaging.
The AFP were called in, and testing revealed that the bags contained more than 250 kilograms of cocaine, worth about $82 million on Australia’s streets.
ABF Commander Troy Sokoloff said the significant seizure prevented “significant community harm.”
“To those criminal syndicates who mistakenly believe they can infiltrate our borders with illicit drugs, let this serve as a powerful warning: the ABF, in close collaboration with the AFP, have eyes and ears everywhere. Your attempts will be detected, your drugs will be seized, and you will be held to account,” he said.
AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said there were undoubtedly people with information that could assist the investigation, and urged them to come forward.
“The people behind these crimes have no regard for the harm and damage that illicit drugs wreak on the Australian community every minute of every day,” he said. “The smallest clue could be all it takes to help police identify those involved in this failed plot.”
The AFP asks that anyone who knows anything that could help the investigation contact Crime Stoppers on 1300 333 000 or report via crimestoppers.com.au
Although the amount discovered in this instance was significant, it’s far from the largest maritime cocaine import stopped by the ABF and AFP—2.34 tonnes—which the crew of a vessel intercepted near Brisbane in December last year.
Eleven men, including one who police allege was the vice-president of the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle club’s Brisbane chapter, were arrested and charged, along with two youths.
According to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s 2024 wastewater report, which breaks down drug consumption across the country, cocaine use in Australia is at a record high, as is the use of methylamphetamine, leading the Commission to dub the country a “stimulant nation.”
