Sydney Dockworkers Charged Over $100 Million Cocaine Bust

Three Sydney dockworkers person been charged complete a cocaine shipment worthy much than $100 cardinal that was recovered hidden down a mendacious wall successful a shipping container.

Officials said they had been investigating a criminal syndicate believed to beryllium moving pinch “trusted insiders” astatine Sydney ports to import commercialized quantities of forbidden narcotics into Australia.

They said they had received intelligence that a group was readying to region illicit narcotics from an imported shipping instrumentality while it was stored connected nan Sydney waterfront.

On Sunday, a 25-year-old man was arrested while exiting nan shipping container, whose morganatic cargo had already been unloaded. Police said they recovered a crowbar, an perspective grinder, receptor protection, portable lights and different devices wrong that they alleged nan man was utilizing to trim done a mendacious wall astatine nan backmost of nan shipping container.

Behind nan wall were 506 blocks of cocaine weighing 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) each, for a full of much than 1,115 pounds. The shipment had a thoroughfare worth of much than 164 Australian dollars ($106 million), nan Australian Federal Police (AFP) said Tuesday successful a joint news release pinch nan New South Wales Police Force.

The 25-year-old man, on pinch 2 others ages 38 and 42, appeared successful a New South Wales tribunal connected Monday, pinch only nan 42-year-old being released connected bail.

If convicted, nan 3 men could look life successful prison. They are adjacent expected to look successful tribunal connected Oct. 29.

Police said a cache of cocaine was concealed down a mendacious wall.Australian Federal Police / via AP

Though nan shipping instrumentality came from Europe, constabulary said they were still investigating nan root of nan cocaine. Searches of 2 of nan men’s homes recovered 330,000 Australian dollars (about $215,000) successful rate suspected of being proceeds from crime.

“To anyone lured successful by nan mendacious committedness of riches from supplier importations — these offenses transportation nan imaginable of life successful jail,” AFP Detective Superintendent Peter Fogarty said.

The investigation was carried retired by nan Multi Agency Strike Team, a collaboration betwixt Australian rule enforcement agencies that intends to “investigate and target trusted insiders assisting transnational superior organized crime syndicates.”

There person been a bid of caller supplier busts successful Australia, including precocious past twelvemonth erstwhile police seized a grounds 2.3 tons of cocaine and arrested 13 group successful raids aft nan suspects’ vessel collapsed down disconnected nan seashore of Queensland.

In 2022, police besides recovered 2 U.S. tons of methamphetamine hidden successful marble tiles shipped from nan Middle East to Sydney successful what they said was nan largest-ever seizure of nan illicit supplier successful nan country.