Sydney: Australian authorities have charged 11 men and two minors over what police on Monday called the largest ever seizure of cocaine in the country.
The 13 individuals are accused of conspiring to import over 2 tons of cocaine into Australia by sea, the country’s federal police (AFP) said, adding that the drugs had an estimated street value of about $760 million Australian ($494 million US).
The arrested included the crew of a vessel allegedly attempting to import the illicit drugs into the eastern state of Queensland and multiple individuals waiting on shore to collect the load. According to police one of the arrested was the vice-president of an outlaw motorcycle club’s Brisbane chapter.
After receiving intelligence that a criminal syndicate with links to the motorcycle gang was going to attempt to import illegal drugs into Australia, police tracked a recently-purchased recreational fishing boat as it travelled to sea off the Queensland coast. (DPA)
