A 51-year-old Queensland man was sentenced to 22 years in prison for trying to import 560kg of cocaine off WA’s coast.
A 34-year-old accomplice was also hit with a 22 year sentence, with a 14-year non-parole period, for his role in the same plot.
Police arrested both criminals after they tried to unload cocaine from a small boat in Kalbarri. The contraband had allegedly been dropped by a bulker off Kalbarri, about 580km north of Perth.
Authorities seized the haul, which was 86% pure cocaine and which could have been broken into 2.8 million street deals, valued at over $182 million.
The men flew to Perth, bought a seven-metre fibreglass boat, a four-wheel-drive, GPS, and other equipment before attempting the ocean drug pick-up.
Unfortunately for them, they initially hit a sandbar and were stuck before eventually getting the vessel free. Even more unfortunately for them, the authorities were already on their case after receiving intelligence that a multi-national criminal syndicate was planning a large scale importation. They were arrested with the drugs after they returned to shore.
Both men pleaded guilty to importing a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs under section 307.1(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
Police said the operation stopped a syndicate from profiting and highlighted the effectiveness of coordinated law enforcement.
“Examination of the two convicted men’s phones found they were promised $300,000 for their involvement in this drug smuggling syndicate; instead, they will both be spending years in a jail cell,” a police spokesperson said.
A court ordered forfeiture of the boat, vehicle, and nearly $5,000 cash.
Meanwhile, four other Queensland men face WA courts over the same case.
