Police raid boat off Lake Macquarie in alleged $750m drug bust
Two men arrested and sailboat impounded after French police tip-offTwo people were arrested after what is believed to be more than a tonne of methamphetamine with a street value of $750 million was discovered on a yacht off the coast of Lake Macquarie over the weekend.
The arrests followed a joint operation from the Australian Federal Police, NSW Police and Australian Border Force, collaborating with agencies from the United Kingdom and New Caledonia.
The alarm was raised after French authorities in New Caledonia had noticed a second boat’s arrival in the area the day before.
It is alleged the drugs were transferred from this boat to the LaFayette, a Bavaria 50 Cruiser, off Norfolk Island. The LaFayette then headed south towards the east coast of Australia.
Arrests made
NSW Police stopped the boat about 4am yesterday about 50 nautical miles off Lake Macquarie. Two crew members – a 33-year-old New Zealander and a 35-year-old holding dual UK/South African citizenship – were arrested on board. Both have been charged with import a commercial quantity of border controlled drugs and were due to appear before Parramatta Bail Court this morning.
The yacht was towed by the NSW Police Marine Area Command boat Nemesis to the Marine Area Command base in Balmain, Sydney, on Saturday afternoon.
Police have recovered what is believed to be blocks of methamphetamine wrapped in plastic.
The men were taken to Surry Hills Police Station and charged with import a commercial quantity of border controlled drugs and are due to appear before Parramatta Bail Court this morning via video link.
Extreme measures
Police said the criminal network behind the alleged drug imports had gone to “extreme measures” to traffic the drugs into NSW given strict coronavirus-related international travel restrictions.
“Organised crime groups will stop at nothing – not even a global pandemic – to try and flood our communities with drugs for greed and profit,” AFP Assistant Commissioner Justine Gough said.
The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment. Police have not ruled out further arrests.
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