The AFP is putting transnational serious organised crime (TSOC) syndicates on notice, following a spate of attempted illicit drug drops at sea and hull attachment concealments that have been thwarted by authorities.
AFP Crime Command Detective Superintendent Anthony Conway said 'at sea' imports, where illicit drugs were smuggled into Australian waters on ships and dropped in the ocean for retrieval by local crews, had become a prominent method used by TSOC syndicates to import drugs, particularly cocaine.
Hiding the drugs in custom attachments on the hull of a cargo vessel under the waterline or inside a ship's sea chest cavity were also common.
Det-Supt Conway warned authorities were alert to these plots and the AFP, Australian Border Force (ABF) and other partners had prevented several attempts to import cocaine or methamphetamine via sea in the past year.
"Drug importation offences carry the potential of life in jail," Det-Supt Conway said. "But anyone involved in these at sea trafficking enterprises is not just risking their freedom - they're also risking their life."
Multiple people have needed to be rescued from the ocean in the past year after hitting trouble while allegedly trying to collect cocaine consignments, while a diver was found dead in a NSW harbour last year. Police suspect he was trying to retrieve packages of cocaine from a bulk carrier.
Three men were pulled from the ocean off WA's Great Southern region in February this year after they set off an emergency beacon when their cabin cruiser capsized in rough seas. The men claimed they had been fishing but were later arrested and charged after the boat they had allegedly been on was found damaged with about 300kg of cocaine inside. Police allege the trio had collected the drugs at sea, where they had been dropped from another vessel.
In May this year authorities helped another three men off the coast of Fremantle in WA after they struck trouble in the 10m cabin cruiser they had purchased only a day earlier. Police allegedly linked the men to the attempted collection of almost 850kg of cocaine that had been imported on a bulk cargo carrier.
Then in August this year, rescuers came to the aid of a 7m fishing boat late at night off the coast of Denham, 837km North West of Perth. Last week (November, 2023) the AFP arrested and charged a Queensland man, 45, who was on the boat, with police alleging he had been trying to collect a consignment of cocaine from the ocean.
Det-Supt Conway said the safety risks involved in the retrieval of illicit drugs at sea or in harbours highlighted the lengths criminals would go to in their attempts to bring drugs into Australian communities for their own greed and profit.
"We have seen instances of people who are not experienced with boats purchasing small vessels and heading out to sea in windy, rough conditions or in the dark - they're risking their own safety and the safety of emergency services members who need to rescue them," Det-Supt Conway said.
"Retrieving drugs from the hull of cargo vessels, even while they are berthed at port, is also dangerous because it usually involves diving at night in busy shipping channels.
"Divers can face unpredictable tidal conditions, be unable to plan how long they will be underwater, and are diving without lights to avoid detection."
Det-Supt Conway said criminal syndicates would take any opportunity to try to infiltrate legitimate international distribution channels - from hiding drugs on the hull of cargo vessels, to compromising ship crew or port workers.
He said the AFP was working closely and sharing intelligence with state, Commonwealth and international law enforcement partners to prevent transnational syndicates from hijacking cargo supply chains for their criminal distribution networks.
"In the past financial year (2022-2023), by working together we were able to stop 26.8 tonnes of illicit drugs and precursors from reaching our communities - up from 21.6 tonnes the previous year - which has prevented significant harm," Det-Supt Conway said.
"The AFP and its foreign law enforcement partners have also arrested numerous alleged members of TSOC syndicates both in Australia and overseas.
"Illicit drug use in Australia bankrolls dangerous and brutal criminals who undermine our national security and our economy and make our suburbs and roads less safe.
"In 2021-2022, there were 10,100 methamphetamine-related hospitalisations and 1300 cocaine-related hospitalisations nationally* - that equates to 31 methamphetamine and cocaine hospitalisations each day across the country, which have an impact on the health system that can negatively affect the entire community.
"The AFP will continue to work with partners to protect the community by making Australia a hostile environment for anyone trying to import illicit drugs."
ABF Commander Ranjeev Maharaj said the ABF had seen a marked increase in cocaine detections this year, almost more than the previous two years combined.
"It is incredible to think that those behind the audacious attempts to drop illicit drugs off Western Australia's coastline during 2023 thought they could get away with it," Commander Maharaj said.
"The Australian border is a strategic national asset and is critical to driving Australia's economy. Its protection against illicit drug infiltration is vital and we will continue to work with the AFP to stop these large quantities of drugs from reaching the community."
*Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare analysis of the National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD).
Attempted maritime drug imports:
October 2023: More than 150kg of cocaine was found concealed inside the hull of a cargo ship after the vessel docked in Melbourne, the second import of its kind intercepted in two months. The drugs were found with a suspected tracking device. The AFP, ABF and Victoria Police are investigating the source of the cocaine and its intended destination.
August 2023: The AFP charged three men for their alleged involvement in the importation and possession of about 560kg of cocaine, which was found in a small coastal town in Western Australia. It will be alleged that three men from Queensland purchased a boat and collected the cocaine after a bulk carrier vessel dropped it into the ocean off WA's Mid West coast. In November, another two Queensland men were charged, with police alleging they had also been involved in the attempted importation. The investigation involves the AFP, ABF, Western Australia Police Force, and Department of Home Affairs.
August 2023: More than 200kg of cocaine was discovered inside the sea chest of a cargo ship when it docked in Melbourne. ABF officers used an underwater remotely operated vehicle to search under the waterline before specialist divers from Victoria Police Search and Rescue Squad retrieved the drugs, which have been seized by the AFP.
May 2023: Seven people have been charged for their alleged roles in attempting to import 850kg of cocaine into Australia in May hidden on a bulk cargo carrier. Those charged include three men who allegedly travelled off the coast of Fremantle in a cabin cruiser to try to collect the drugs and two senior crew members of the bulk cargo carrier, who police allege knew the drugs were on the ship and planned to drop them overboard for collection. A man and woman, who police allege are part of the Australian-based syndicate responsible for collecting the drugs and facilitating the logistics of the importation, have also been charged.
February 2023: Three men have been charged over the importation of more than 300kg of cocaine, which was found in a capsized vessel and in the ocean in WA's Great Southern region. Investigations are ongoing into how and where the drugs were dropped in the ocean before they were allegedly collected by the three men.
February 2023: New Zealand authorities intercepted 3.2 tonnes of cocaine afloat in the Pacific Ocean. New Zealand Police suspected the shipment might have been destined for Australia.
