A total of 2.4 tonnes of cocaine was stopped from entering our shores and 12 people were arrested in the largest bust in Australian history.
The enormous volume represents half of Australia’s annual consumption of the drug, and has an estimated street value of $1 billion.
“I say that it’s a magnificent effort to defend our shores,” WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said.
“We’re looking at 250-400 dollars a kilo for cocaine, so you can see the benefit in the cartels and offshore syndicates in they don’t have to get a great deal through,” said WA Deputy Commissioner Tony Longhorn.
In late November, US authorities intercepted the shipment off the South American coast – alerting WA police.
Unknown to the cartel, the drugs were switched out with identical fakes, made from plaster-of-paris.
Those packages were then dropped in the ocean, 80 kilometres off WA.
“WA is an attractive coastline because they think they won’t be detected, it’s such a large space, with very few people… but they do not understand the capability of WA police,” Blanch said.
A month later, two boats attempted to retrieve the haul.
One – struggling to navigate the West Australian waters – beaching 70 kilometres north of Perth.
There, Tactical Response Group (TRG) officers were laying in wait, arresting three men.
Police watched from the air as the second boat towed the first back out to sea, before it too ran into trouble.
Six more men were then arrested at a popular family boat harbour in Perth.
“The people who bought those drugs into this believed there was another 1.2 tonnes sitting in a warehouse in WA – so we waited and we watched,” Blanch said.
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Another three suspects tracked down at houses and hotels, two of those were allegedly busted with two million dollars cash in their car.
“I will say that this is the first time we’ve done anything of this scale,” Blanch said.
